A New Selection, a SYOC!
by ArmaduraStar7
Summary: It's Prince Leo's selection, and he couldn't be more nervous. Who will be eliminated? Who will be the One? SYOC closed!
1. Rules and Form

This was it.

Prince Leo straightened his tie, looking into the mirror to see if he looked okay.

It was tonight.

35 girls would be announced, and one of them would be his future queen.

The Selection was starting.

 **A/N Dun Dun Dun! So suspenseful! You can probably guess what is going on. A selection! You (yes you) can submit a character. Before we see the form, here is the rules!**

 **No Mary Sues! I will NOT accept them (no means no!)**

 **No America copies!**

 **You must pm to submit!  
**

 **Please make your characters detailed! I want to portray them correctly!**

 **You can submit up to 2 characters**

 **The form is on my profile! See ya later!**


	2. Sibling love

**A/N Hiii! Sorry, I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter! Here it is! I do not own The Selection, and this is just for fun. Shout out to xXxForeverYoungxX and Dangerouslyswt for submiting characters! Thank you SO MUCH! I also forgot to mention that Prince Leo looks like Loke from Fairy Tail (the spirit version) but his personality is not like his and his hair is a bit more combed. Now on with the story!**

No one's POV

Prince Leo heard his door open and turned around to see who it was. Sure enough, it was his two twins sisters, Princesses Luna and Kalliope.

"I knew it was you two," the prince said.

"Who else would it be?" Kalliope answered teasingly.

The two girls were as close as sisters (probably because they were sisters), and looked exactly alike. They both were kind of petite, and had long, wavy brown hair with blonde highlights. They had pink lips, white/peach skin, and pretty hands. The only thing different about their appearances were their eyes. Luna's eyes were green with gold flecks, and Kalliope's gold with green flecks.

"Are you nervous?" Luna asked.

"Of course he's nervous! His future wife is going to be announced out loud on The Report! Wouldn't you be nervous!" Kalliope answered before Leo even had the chance to talk.

"You are not helping Kalliope!" Leo snapped.

When the twins looked at him, he immediately felt guilty.

"Sorry. I'm really stressed right now," he said, sitting on his bed.

"It's okay," the twins said in perfect harmony, grinning at each other.

"Anyways, we got to get ready for The Report. See ya later!" Kalliope said.

The twins headed out the door. Leo looked back in the mirror.

"You got this," he told himself.

But he didn't quite believe it himself.

 **That's the chapter! Sorry it's short, but I wanted to write something! Please please please submit more characters! I have two so far, but I need more! Please pm to submit! I'll write soon (hopefully). See you later! :3**


	3. Trying New Things

**A/n Thank you jess120, emma47756, Unicute17, , Stargazer03 and xXNewZealandMaoriXx for submitting! I looked through the reviews, and there is a guest who submitted. I can take her, but Angeles is taken! Please review with your prefered province! We still need more characters though, so please pm, pm, pm! No rush though! Because I don't have enough characters to actually start the main storyline, I'm going to give you little flashbacks (sorta) of the currently selected.**

Mackenzie Wells sat on her bed, carefully drawing. This was one of her fancy house designs. Mackenzie was an architect, who wanted to design houses. This was one of her houses for Twos. It was a big mansion with a huge front garden. It probably would never get built, but oh well. It was fun designing them.

When she started drawing the roof, the lead snapped.

"Shoot," Mackenzie muttered, grabbing her purse from the nightstand and ruffling through it to grab a pencil.

However, she found something else.

The Selection form.

Should I enter? She thought. I mean, it would be interesting. And it's new. Trying new things is fun. Usually.

"Eh, to hell with it," she said out loud and grabbed a pencil.

 _Name: MacKenzie Ravenna Wells_

 _Age: 19_

 _Province: Waverly_

 _Caste: Three_

 _Occupation: Architect_

 _Hair color: Black_

 _Eye Color: Deep Blue_

 _Skin Tone: Tanned_

 _Height: 5"5_

 _Weight: 100 lb_

 _Languages Spoken: English, Greek, Italian_

 _Hobbies: Painting and Photography_

MacKenzie looked it over, hoping it wasn't to boring. Next was the picture. She changed into a white short-sleeved top and black jeans. She also put on a denim jacket that wasn't buttoned. She brushed out her hair and pulled over her desk chair. The photo shouldn't be a problem. She grabbed her camera and propped it up on the stand.

MacKenzie set the timer, then ran back to her seat, and smiled. She took a few more pictures (actually, she took 12), and looked through them. She picked the best two, printed them out, and stuck them in the envelope with her form.

Five minutes later she was walking down the street with her form and photos. She didn't really want to be in the Selection, but she did want to try something new. And the Selection would be perfect.

 **A/N This was xXxForeverYoungxXx's character! I hope I portrayed her correctly! Also, for anyone that submitted, please pm/review with your character's weight and what languages does she speak. I'm so sorry, I forgot it on the form! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Photos and Hopeless Romance

**A/N Hi guys! Today's A/N is short. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 _Chrystal Aileen Veronessi's POV_

"This house has a very great view of the beach, and gets lots of sunlight!" Chrystal Aileen Veronessi said cheerfully.

The couple scanned the house. "It's nice," Mr. Baldwin said.

Chrystal nodded. "It also is raised up, in case of floods."

Mr. Baldwin nodded. "But, it's kind of small. And it has a lot of windows."

Chrystal smiled frantically. Think. You need a solution. Think.

"W-well, it's more cozy if it's small. The windows are to show of the view. Isn't it nice?" she asked.

"Hmm, the view is nice. And the house is small, but I like it," Mrs. Baldwin said, tugging at her husband's arm.

"True. We'll take it."

Chrystal breathed a sigh of relief. Now she would have to talk to them about forms and money. Work wasn't over yet.

…

Chrystal closed the door. "I'm home!" she yelled.

"Aileen!"

Chrystal turned to see her adopted six year-old sister Braelynn running toward her with an envelope in her hand.

"It came! It came today!" Braelynn jumped up and down.

"What?"

"The form! The Selection form!"

The Selection? Chrystal remembered. She was 17. She was eligible.

"Where is it?"

"I put it on your bed. Are you going to submit it?"

When Chrystal nodded, Braelynn squealed.

Chrystal sat on her bed to fill out the form.

 _Name: Chrystal Aileen Veronessi_

 _Age: 17_

 _Province: Clermont_

 _Caste: 4_

 _Occupation: Real Estate Agent_

"Aileen!" Braelynn jumped on Chrystal, slamming the two of them on Chrystal's bed.

"Can I watch?!" Braelynn asked excitedly. Chrystal sighed.

"Sure," when Chrystal said that Braelynn squealed again.

Chrystal tapped her pencil on the sheet of paper.

"Hey Braelynn, what's my hair color?"

"Auburn!" Chrystal nodded and wrote it down.

 _Hair Color: Auburn_

 _Eye Color: Light Green_

 _Skin Tone: Fair_

 _Height: 5'9  
_

 _Weight: 97 lb  
_

 _Languages Spoken: English and Spanish  
_

Chrystal sighed happily. She was a hopeless romantic. She wanted love like in the fairy-tales. And she probably wouldn't even get chosen for the Selection. There was plenty of prettier girls in Clermont. The models and the actresses.

Still, she hoped to get chosen.

And if she did, she wanted to win.

 _Kyli Evenne's POV_

Click!

"Okay, you're done! You look very nice," Kyli Evenne said cheerfully, printing out the photo.

"Thanks!" the girl said, grabbing her photo happily.

Kyli was, in a way, grateful for the Selection. That meant that lots more girls were coming to get their photo taken, not just the models and other famous Twos who wanted or needed to get their picture taken. She was getting a bigger tip, which helped her family a lot. She wasn't planning on entering, but she loved to help her family.

"Evenne!" her boss yelled.

"Yes sir?"

"You're done for the day. Here is your tip," he said, handing her about twenty dollars (A/N I don't know how money works in Illea).

"Thank you!" she said, walking out of the building to home.

Ten minutes later, she stepped inside her house, only to hear the familiar click! Of a camera. Her father stood there with the camera, then going to print it out.

"Dad, what are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"Printing your photo."

"For what?"

"The Selection."

It was silent for a moment. And then a scream racked the house.

"WHAT!"

"The Selection! I never agreed to this! What's going on!" Kyli asked, well, also screamed.

"Honey, we want what's best for you," said her mother, who had come from the kitchen when she heard her scream.

"This is NOT what's best for me! I -I can't believe you're doing this!"

"Honey, the letter is already being sent. We now have no say it the matter."

"Aggggghhh!" Kyli screamed, storming up to her room.

She flopped on her bed, thinking one thing.

 _I never wanted the Selection._

 **A/N Hi again! I hope you like Dangerouslyswt's characters Chrystal and Kyli! I might not be updating for a bit, I have a project I need to work on! Anyway, if you have submitted a character, or want to submit a character, please pm/ review with your character's weight, height, and the languages they speak (if you haven't already). Thanks! I'll see you next time!**


	5. Pranks, Praying and Teaching

**A/N Hi guys! I am going to start doing first-person POV, but let me know if you don't like it! Also, Elphie, Allens and Waverly are BOTH taken. What is your third choice. Since someone has been asking for this, and because I want to write it, here they are! Please welcome Brynn, Rose, and Saymona!**

 _Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman's POV_

I stifled a yawn. Dad's meetings were always so boring. I would rather be somewhere else, but oh well. At least it would be ending soon.

"So, that will conclude the study made for . . ." he droned on and on.

Twenty minutes later the meeting was over. I sighed in relief.

"Gods, that took foreeeeever!" I said.

I looked at the sidewalk, where a limo was waiting. My dad saw.

"Clever girl," he chuckled.

I smiled.

"Anyway, I have prime minister stuff to do. I'll see you later!" he said, ruffling her hair.

As I walked to the limo, I could hear people whispering

"OMG, is that Brynn Ackerman!"  
"She's soooooo famous!"

"She has her own clothing company!"

Before I could here anymore, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Brynn? It's me!" a familiar voice said.

"Heidi? Hi!" I said, getting in the limo and taking of my sweater.

"Hi! I was wondering if you were free?"

"Yeah, but why?"

"I got my selection form, and Summer just texted me, she got hers. So I was wondering if we could come to your house and fill them out with you."

"Of course! Alexandra and I will be happy to have you there!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm almost there! You?"

"I'm waiting at the gate!"

"Wait. . . you've been there the whole time!"

"Yup! Summer's here to! We waited for you!"

I sighed. Typical Heidi. I should have guessed. Sure enough, there she was, waving in front of the gate.

"Hiiiii!" she yelled.

I got out of the limo to be squished in a hug.

"I love your new clothes!" she squealed.

I looked down to see my company's (Harli Clothes). It was a gray crop top with jeans which were ripped in columns, and Converse that had a block pattern.

"Thanks!" I said, giving a toothy smile.

I should have expected it. When I walked in my house my foot pressed against a string, and before I had time to move, a bunch of cereal fell on my head.

"Ha!"

My twin Alexandra doubled over with laughter.

"Oh my gods!" she giggled, laying on the floor.

"Alexandra!" I growled, but I could barely hold in my laughter.

Sure enough, I joined my friends and twin on the floor.

(Ten minutes later)

"Why not water?" I asked.

"Huh?" Alexandra said.

"That prank is usually done with water."

"Oh, if you're filling out your form today, you probably shouldn't be wet. I don't know if the prince likes girls dripping with water."

Our group of four sat down on one of our couches and brought out our forms. I heard four clicks of pens as we started to fill them out.

 _Name: Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman_

 _Age: 19_

 _Province: Carolina_

 _Caste: 2_

What was my job? I was the Prime Minister's daughter, but I was also an actress. I figured I would just put down both.

 _Occupation: Prime Minister's daughter/ Actress_

 _Hair Color: Blonde with Auburn Tips_

 _Eye Color: Brown_

 _Skin Tone: Tan_

 _Height: 5'4_

 _Weight: 95_

 _Languages Spoken: English, German, and Russian_

 _Hobbies: Dance, Typing Fast on a Keyboard_

I was pretty satisfied with my sheet.

"Hey, for the photo we should do a group selfie!" Heidi suggested.

We quickly grabbed our phones and selfie sticks. We were giggling madly as we took the picture.

"If anyone of us gets picked, the prince will think we are cray-cray!" Summer said, and left us all giggling again.

 _Rose Maynard's POV_

Dancing. Always dancing.

Dancing to get enough money for my next meal.

My life staked on it.

I sat, counting my savings, the money I could spare to save for something good. Seven dollars. Not enough. Never enough.

"I have a boyfriend! I don't wanna enter!" I heard a girl say.

I peered out of the alley I lived in and saw two girls, most likely twos.

"But you should totally enter! You're pretty enough, and would TOTALLY be the prince's fav," one of the girls said.

"But I totally love my boyfriend! I don't even need the prince!"

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," a girl in designer jeans and a pink top said, throwing a envelope on the sidewalk.

I didn't know why I scrambled to grab it. When I opened it, my eyes widened.

The Selection.

If I got chosen, my life would change forever.

I went to the nearest store and grabbed a pen to use.

 _Name: Rose Maynard_

 _Age: 17_

 _Province: Allens_

 _Caste: 8_

 _Occupation: Dancing on the Street for Coins_

 _Hair Color: Brown_

 _Eye Color: Brown_

 _Skin Tone: Pale_

What should I put for height and weight? I didn't even know. I'll just write something.

 _Height: Average_

 _Weight: Very Thin_

 _Languages Spoken: English_

 _Hobbies: Dancing_

As I walked to the photography station, I did one thing.

Pray. Pray that I was in the Selection.

Pray.

 _Saymona McKinlay's POV_

 _Ring!_

'Okay, class is over!" I said, avoiding the hoards of children running out the door to go home. I smiled.

I love my job, I thought happily as I walked home. When I turned the corner, a stray cat came out of the shadows.

"Oh, hi kitty!" I said.

"Meow!" she meowed.

"Oh you're so cute!" I squealed.

When I got home, my twin threw something at me.

"What was that for!" I sputtered.

"Look in the envelope!"

I opened the letter, which I realized was adressed to me.

"The Selection," I read out loud.

"Thought you'd want to enter," Pierce said (my twin).

Did I want to enter? I wasn't really "into" the prince. But if I got in, and won, I could fix something I thought needed to be fixed, that all the castes got good educations. If I didn't win, I could still try. I would be WAY more famous. I'll enter.

 _Name: Saymona McKinlay_

 _Age: 16_

 _Province: Dominica_

 _Caste: 3_

 _Occupation: Teacher_

 _Hair Color: Black_

 _Eye Color: Green_

 _Skin Tone: Dark_

 _Height: 5'4_

 _Weight: 100 pounds_

 _Languages Spoken: English, French_

 _Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Debating_

Hey, this Selection thing might be fun. I could make new friends. There might even be a zoo at the palace or something!

 **A/N Hi! Sorry this took a bit to get up! I had to work on a diaroma for Humanites. Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner! Remember, please look on my profile for a list of the open provinces! Please PM and review! Thanks everybody for all the support!**


	6. Mean Girls

**A/N ATTENTION SUBMITTERS! Hi, sorry that was intense. I just wanted to say that if you wanted a specific look for your character for the makeovers, PLEASE pm/review to tell jme. If you don't, I will make it up. I will need the style and scent! Also, we only need THREE more characters to get our 35 girls! YAY! Thanks again for all the support!**

 _Courtney Calastroro's POV_

"But I love him!" I wailed dramatically.

"And . . . cut!" the hot film director said.

Ugh, I hated this movie! My "best friend" in the movie was _such_ a goody two-shoes, and acted like she was the princess. My love interest was _so_ ugly, it's not even funny.

"We are done for the day! Great job everybody!" the director said.

"Thank goodness!" I announced loudly. I _needed_ to go shopping.

I got in my private limo, and ordered the driver to go to the best mall in town. I rolled down my tinted windows and puckered my lips at the boys outside. I bet they drooled over me.

"We are here, Ms. Calastroro," the driver said.

"About time," I said.

I walked into the mall, looking around to find one of my favorite stores, Blackberry Beauty. Before I could go in, a girl approached me.

"Are you Courtney Calastroro?" she asked.

"Yeah? What is it?" I answered, trying to be sweet. She was obviously poor, her hair was practically a rats nest!

"OMG! I'm a big fan! I LOVED you in Zombie Love!" she squealed.

"Thanks!" I said, smiling fakely.

"Will you sign my homework!?" she asked.

"Sure," I said.

I grabbed her pen and signed a page of math homework. As quickly as I could, I ran to Blackberry Beauty. Only then could I smile. Blackberry Beauty was only for high-end twos, not dirty low-caste people like that girl.

I looked through the clothes. They were all nice, but I was really attracted to a pink spaghetti strap top with designer jeans. The jeans were really skinny and very ripped, just like I liked them.

One hour later, I had bought that top and jeans, as well as _really_ short shorts, a wine-colored dress with a thigh-high slit. I also bought red cowboy boots and a pair of blue 7-inch stilettos.

Once I got home, a maid handed me a letter and scurried off. When I opened the envelope, I didn't bother looking at the address. I expected it would be from my "best friend" or one of my ex-boyfriends.

I never thought it would be the Selection.

If I entered, I would probably become the next Queen of Illea. I was definitely pretty enough. Boys drooled over me. Plus, I was a famous two. Who would not want me? The people who don't think I'm perfect for the job are crazy!

I sat down and filled out the form as quickly as I could.

"Maid!" I screamed.

"Yes Ms. Calastroro?!" the maid ran into the room.

"Do my nails and hair."

"Yes miss. What color would you like your nails to be?"

"Blue. Duh!"

"I am sorry miss! I will get started right away!"

My maid grabbed a bottle of nail polish called Cornflower and started to do my nails. After she finished, she put my hair in beachy waves. I looked into the mirror.

"It's tolerable," I said.

I went to my room and changed into my new dress, which showed of my figure really well. I put on my new stilettos and walked out the door.

Of course I called my limo, I can't walk all that way in these heels! When I got there, I noticed there was a very long line. The one who was in front was probably a seven, with her dirty clothes.

"Move please?" I said to her, pushing past her.

One minute later I sat down to take the picture. I pushed my hand through my hair to show off my nails, and opened my mouth slightly to look sexy. They snapped the photo and printed it out. I had to admit, I looked good. Impressive for a five's work.

I walked back to my limo, holding my picture.

There was no doubt that I would be selected.

And I would win.

 _Vivian Seraphina Chancler POV_

"Pose!"

I layed down on the bed on my stomach, my feet in the air, and my tongue slightly poking out of my smiling glossy lips.

"Good, good," my photographer said, his camera snapping photos.

"I think we're done for the day. Good job!" he said, sticking out his hand. I pushed passed him.

I went into the dressing room and changed into a red short-sleeve and a short jean skirt. I slipped on a pair of gray converse and sunglasses, and then applied cherry-red lipstick, and I'm ready to go!

The hot Angeles sun shone on me as I walked out of the modeling studio. I pushed through a group of girls. I had to get home soon. There was something I had to do.

I could hear a man whistle behind me, but I ignored it. I arrived at my house, and grabbed my mail. There it was.

The stamp of Illea on one of the letters.

The Selection.

I ran to my room to fill it out. I was sure I would get in. I'm a famous model from Angeles!

Once I finished, I had to find _something_ good to wear. I grabbed some ripped jeans and a skin-tight red top. After I changed, I wore those jeans and top, with a different pair of sunglasses, and sandals with blue straps, which showed of my gold pedicure. I checked my nails and hair, and after I applied more lipstick, I was ready.

I walked as fast as I could to the modeling studio.

"Where's my photographer?!" I asked a woman with a camera, who was probably a five.

"Um, you are Ms. Chancler, correct?" she asked.

"Duh! Now, where is my photographer?!" I said.

"Um, he is in his office, getting ready to go."

I marched to his office, opening the door with a BANG!

"Uh, good afternoon Ms. Chancler. Why are you here?" he asked.

"To get my picture taken."

"B-but my workday is over?"

"I don't care. I'll give you a little extra money. You're a five. You need some."

"Uh. . . sure?"

I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward a room that had all the equipment. I sat down on a couch, crossing my legs and putting my hands on them. I leaned forward slightly, my sunglasses tilted so you could _just_ see my eyes. He took the picture.

"Thanks. Here," I rolled my eyes and handed him a twenty dollar bill.

I walked to the post office, which was about one block away.

This was it.

Watch out, other Selected.

I'm coming.

 **A/N That is it for now! Remember, if you want to submit a character, the only provinces free are Atlin, Ottaro, and St. George! Also, you are free to submit two characters! Thanks everybody!**


	7. I'm home!

**A/N Hi! Hopefully we will be able to start the main storyline soon! If I don't get three more girls soon, I will make them up! That's it! Here we go!**

 _Arabella Silverthorn's POV_

I breathed in, taking in the smell of summer. It smelled like green grass, sunflowers, and fruits. I loved this season. Gave me more time to play soccer.

I ran toward the ball, slamming my foot into it. It sailed into the goal perfectly. But I was alone. In the professional games, the ball probably wouldn't go into the goal like that. I probably had to practice more.

"Bella!"

At the edge of the field, my brother Eric stood, waving.

"It's time for dinner!" he yelled.

"I'll be right there!" I yelled back, running to him.

Behind my house's backyard, there was a giant grassy field. When we were fives, the field wasn't much use to us, but now that I'm a professional soccer player, it was a great place to practice.

"Isn't it a bit early for dinner?" I asked.

"No, it's six-thirty. What time did you think it was?"

"Around five."

"Your internal clock is way of, sis, if you thought it was five!"

"Oh, shut up," I muttered. He laughed.

"I'm home!" I yelled as we walked through the back door.

"Good, good, the food just finished!" my mom said, coming over to hug me.

"You're so sweaty! Go wash up, and dinner will have cooled off by then!"

After I washed my hands, I walked into the dining room, where chicken was waiting on the table. I sat down to eat. That's when my mother asked a question I was not expecting at all.

"So, Bella, are you going to enter the Selection?"

I almost choked on the water I was drinking.

"W-what?"

"Are you entering the Selection?"

"N-no!"

"Why?" my mother asked.

"I'm not interested. Being queen would be boring. I'd rather play sports."

Eric chuckled.

"Eric, why are you laughing?" I asked.

"We all know the _real_ reason why you're not entering,"

"What is the 'real' reason Eric?" I said.

"You wouldn't survive a day in that place! You wouldn't be able to wear a dress for that long!" he answered, laughing.

"I would!" I said loudly.

"Really!"

"Yeah!"

"Then I _dare_ you to enter the Selection!"

"Fine. I will enter." I said.

I grabbed the letter and filled it out.

"You did fill it out, but you need a picture, and I'm pretty sure the photo places are closed," my mom said.

I ran up to my room, opening a drawer and pulling out a picture. It was me right after a game. My brown hair was stuck to the back of my neck, and you could see the sheen of sweat on me. My green eyes were sparkling, and in the picture I was deliriously happy (we won the game). It was taken about a week ago, so it was pretty currant. I put it in the envelope with the form.

I would have to mail it tomorrow. I knew what I was doing. I had taken the dare.

I was entering the Selection.

 _Merideth Felicity Kressin's POV_

I walked home, shivering. It was summer, but it was still cold. It was always cold in Whites. Everyone knew that.

I opened the door to my house. It was very small, but very cozy. I loved it to pieces.

"I'm home!" I yelled cheerfully.

"How was work?" my mom asked.

"It was good!" I answered, sitting on the one weathered couch we had.

She handed me a glass of milk. She seemed really happy. I mean, she is a pretty happy person, but she was _extra_ happy today.

"Mom? You seem really happy today! What happened?" I said.

"Well . . . this came in the mail today!" she said holding up a envelope.

This was weird. We hardly got any mail. The province of Whites was rural, and the town we lived in was small, but one of the biggest towns in Whites. There wasn't many people that she knew besides her family. Who would we get mail from?

The kingdom of Illea, that's who.

Inside the envelope was the form for the Selection.

I had to enter. The prince was, well, seemed really nice, and he was pretty hot, but he wasn't the reason. Her family were well off, well for sixes. My aunt helped us out a lot. But our family was still poor, and if you entered the Selection, you got money. It would help my family a lot. I was going to enter.

I squealed loudly.

"I don't want to force you into entering, but it would," I interrupted her.

"I am going to enter!" I yelled happily. I would _never_ turn down the chance to help my family.

I sat down at the dinner table and filled out the form. Now I had to get ready.

I ran up to my room and into my closet. I had to find one of the few good things I had to wear. They weren't as comfortable or warm as my other clothes, but I had to look my best in the picture! I was so happy, I wanted to get in so badly!

I ended up picking a peach colored long sleeved top with some black jeans and my warmest brown boots. They wouldn't even show up in the picture. I also wore my golden heart necklace, which my brother Ethan gave to me.

I rode the 15 minute ride by bus to the nearest photo station. There was a surprisingly long line, which must have been full of girls from the country with no photo station where they lived. I got in line in the back.

Twenty minutes later, it was my turn. I sat down on the chair, smiling as happily as I could, thinking about my family.

When I got the photo back, I was surprised. I kinda looked good. I looked stunning. Not to brag, many girls were _way_ prettier then me, but the picture looked better than I expected.

I rode the bus back home, shivering. It was becoming night, and I was freezing in my light clothes. I quickly walked back.

"I'm home!" I yelled yet again.

 _Emily White's POV_

"Wooooohooooooo!" I yelled happily.

Wind blew through my brown curls. Elf galloped even faster around the circle track. I screamed with happiness again. Horses were amazing! I felt Elf start to slow down as we reached the end.

Holding Elf's reins, I walked him to his stable. I wish I could stay at the stables forever, but that wasn't going to happen. I had to get home, or my brothers would worry. Luckily, the stables was only a couple blocks away from where we lived, so I got home quickly.

"I'm home!" I yelled as I walked in the door.

Well, this place wasn't _really_ home. My two older brothers and I lived in a orphanage, with many other kids.

"Hey sis," my 19 year old brother Max said.

"Em?" my 20 year old brother Haden yelled, probably from the other room.

"Yes?" I asked him. "Where are you?"

"Right here," he said, walking into the room.

"This came in the mail today," he said, giving me an envelope.

I took it, and opened it. My eyes widened.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"The Selection," I breathed.

There was an awkward silence.

"Are you going to enter?" Haden asked.

After a pause, I answered.

"Yes."

I went to the huge dining room and grabbed a pen, my brothers following me.

"Why Em?"

"You're only 17!"

"We have a happy life here!"

"Yes, I know, but how long are we able to stay here!" I said to them.

"What?" they both asked.

"We have already grown up! We are going to have to leave the orphanage somewhere in there!" I answered.

I grabbed the filled out form and went to my room to change for the photo. My hair was a mess! I grabbed my hairbrush and started to brush my hair as I picked a outfit. I picked out a blue dress with short sleeves. I walked out of my room, and went outside to walk to the nearest photo station.

I was only entering for the money.

Right?

 **A/N That's the end of this chapter! Please, three more people submit characters! The submissions will CLOSE ON SATURDAY! I am going to bump it up to three characters you can submit! Have a good day!**


	8. The Selected Girls

**A/N THIS IS IT! These are the selected girls! I hope you like them! Here we go!**

 _Prince Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

I sat down on my seat for The Report. I felt like throwing up. One of the girls being announced today would be my future wife. MY WIFE! What if I didn't like any of them? My stomach feels like it's twisting in knots.

"How are you doing?" Luna asked me.

"Horribly. What did you expect?"

"That."

I sighed.

"Just keep calm. I know it isn't easy, but try to smile," she said, then walked to her seat.

"The report is starting . . . now!" someone yelled as the little light over LIVE turned on.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the report! Tonight, as all must know, we will be announcing the lovely ladies in the Selection! Before we do, let's get the royal family's advice!" Griffin Fadaye, our Report host said, handing the microphone to my mother.

"For all the girls out there, even those not Selected, always be yourself! It's old advice, but it's good! Also, please respect the other girls!" my mother said with a smile.

"Some great advice from our amazing Queen! Now, let's see how our Prince is doing!"

Griffin handed me the microphone. My hand shook as I grabbed it.

"W-well, I'm a bit nervous, but I can't wait to see the lovely ladies of the Selection!" I said, trying to give my winning smile that the ladies loved.

"Okay then, I bet all the girls in Illea are waiting for the list, so here we go!" Griffin said.

Oh no.

"From Waverly," Griffin said, opening the envelope. "MacKenzie Ravenna Wells, a three."

She was wearing a white shirt under a denim jacket, and her eyes were a deep blue. I tried to make my smile bigger.

"Chrystal Aileen Veronessi, Clermont, four."

This time, a girl with auburn hair came up. I didn't look at her eyes, I was just trying to focus on keeping my smile bright.

 _Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman's POV_

"Annie Lynn Toole, a three from Honduragua." Annie seemed to look slightly scruffy.

"Carolina is _so_ soon!" Alexandra said nervously.

"Emily White, five, Calgary."

A girl with beachy brown hair appeared on the screen.

"Valorie Bloom, a two from Midston."

Carolina was next! Heidi and Summer sat on the couch with us too, anxiously looking at our 65-inch TV.

"From Carolina," we all sucked in a breath. "Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman, a two."

I saw my face on the screen, giggling with my friends. I had circled my face and wrote my name above it so they could identify who I was.

I could just see the prince's smile grow a bit before my twin tackled me of the couch.

"You're in the Selection!" she screamed, giving me a giant hug. "Congratulations!"

My friends joined her in the hug, which made a big bright smile cross my face.

 _Daniella Eve Wenger's POV_

"From Carolina, Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman, a two."

 _Please let me be Selected, please let me be Selected!_ I thought pleadingly. If I got chosen, Allie will have a future. She wouldn't have to be like me.

 _Please!_ I prayed, closing my eyes.

"Daniella Eve Wenger, seven, Panama."

I almost exploded with happiness. I opened my eyes to make sure, and there I was, my rich brown hair and hopeful, almost pleading smile. My own smile grew.

 _I was Selected!_

 _Amourette Dolie Mohini's POV_

"Saymona McKinlay, three, Dominica."

A girl with black curls, dark skin, and a bubbly smile popped up.

"Why do we even have the Selection?" I asked.

"You know that Doll," my mother said, focusing on the screen.

"Deliah Jane Jonez, five, Zuni."

A girl with a sarcastic smile popped up.

Four more till Yukon.

"Vivian Seraphina Chancler, a two from Angeles."

A gorgeous girl that I saw in most magazines appeared on the screen. Figures.

"Merideth Felicity Kressin, a six from Whites."

A girl with a very happy smile and light blonde hair appeared, and Prince Leo's smile grew.

"Kyli Evenne, five, Likely."

This time, it was a girl with strangely purple eyes and a slightly surprised look on her face. Why was she so surprised? Wasn't _she_ submitting the form?

"Rose Maynard, an e-eight from Allens."

"What? A-an eight?" I stammered. Don't get me wrong, I am fine with eights, but this had never happened before. How did she even submit the form?

The royals seemed surprised. The twin princesses were whispering, the prince and queen looked surprised, but not in a bad way. But the most surprising was the king. His polite smile was gone, he looked furious!

"Why is the king so mad?" I said aloud.

"Shhhh, Yukon is next!" my mom shushed me.

"And from Yukon, we have Amourette Dolie Mohini, a two!" Griffin said.

"Oh my god, you are Selected!" my mom screamed.

My dad ruffled my hair as I stared in shock at my picture on the screen.

 _Livia Kasey Eve's POV_

I stared at our battered TV screen as the names were being called.

"And from Yukon, Amorette Dolie Mohini, a two!"

A girl with black hair, caramel skin, and beautiful green eyes appeared on screen. All of the girls had been so beautiful!

"She's pretty!" my four-year old sister Holly said, which made all of us smile.

I needed to get in. It would help my family so much! Kent was only one girl away!

"Christine Paula, 4, Paloma."

My stomach rolled and I held my mother's hand harder.

"From Kent, Livia Kasey Eve, a six."

It took a bit to process. _I was Selected? I was Selected. I WAS SELECTED!_

I jumped up, squealing with joy. I could help my family! I've never been so happy in my life!

 _Prince Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

My stomach churned. When was this going to be over? I quickly glanced at my sisters. Kalliope was smiling, which was expected. She shone on stage. Luna though, looked scared. She did have horrible stage fright. I tried to focus on the girls again.

"Arabella Silverthorn, two, Sumner."

For some reason, Arabella was really sweaty in the photo. Her eyes sparkled though, and she looked happy, which brought a hint of a smile to my face.

"Cassandra Dove, three, Hudson."

A girl with a polite smile, amazing posture, blonde hair, and blue eyes popped up. I tried to smile as interested as I could.

"Sabrina Scott, a four from Sota."

This time it was another blonde with blue eyes, who looked a bit scared, but only a bit. I wonder why?

"Minnie Ayla Neill, 6, Fennley."

This girl was all-out glaring! I flinched as her gaze seemed to land on me. Oh shoot, I shouldn't have done that!

"Eva Moon, a two from Hansport."

Eva had a mysterious smile and long brown hair. I looked at her smile, which wasn't sad or happy. Strange.

"Courtney Calastroro, Bankston, two."

This girl was wearing . . . I shivered slightly. I tried to make my smile bigger.

"Destiny Paige Heartly, two, Columbia."

Destiny had brown hair and deep blue eyes. She was pretty, and I liked her eyes.

 _Raelynn Derryn's POV_

My pencil carefully scratched the paper as it drew a white ruffled skirt.

"Destiny Paige Heartly, two, Columbia."

I looked up at the screen to see a brown haired blue-eyed girl. Dakota was soon. I wasn't paying attention to most of the Report, I was drawing some clothes that would probably never be made. I had submitted a form, so there was a chance that I would get chosen, and at least be able to almost be able to design clothes for a living.

"Kara Maya Vienna, a four from Sonage." I looked down to examine the drawing.

"Elodie Marc, Labrador, two." the skirt was a bit too short.

I made the skirt a little longer, as I heard Griffin announce a girl named Raelynn Derryn. Wait . . .

That's ME!

I jumped up screaming as loud as I could!

 _Tiffany Hailee Weyr's POV_

I stared at the TV screen. I probably wouldn't get picked. There was _tons_ of prettier girls in St. George. Still, I wanted to be Selected. It would be so romantic!

"Amber Heartly, three, Belcourt."

Amber had black hair and gray eyes. I saw my sister Daisy come into the room.

"Elise Ruby Olivia Sharp, a four from Denbeigh."

I sighed.

"Abby Max, three, Tammins." The prince didn't smile.

"Julie May, five, Bonita." the prince smiled, but it seemed fake. St. George was next!

"Tiffany Hailee Weyr, five, St. George."

I screamed loudly. I was Selected!

 _Prince Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

It was almost over. It was almost over. Only a couple girls left.

"Rubyanne June Crescent, a three from Ottaro." Rubyanne had black hair, or was it brown? I squinted at the photo.

"Arianna Foster, a six from Atlin." I swallowed. Arianna had pretty eyes.

"Tilly Mag Clarence, two, Lakedon." Tilly was smiling seductively, which gave me the chills. One more to go!

"Esperanza Rafaela Vasquez, a four from Baffin!" I hardly saw the girl, I was to relieved that it was over. It's over!

"Those are all the amazing Selected girls! They will be coming to the palace next week! I hope to see you all soon! This is Griffin Fadaye, signing out!" Griffin said, and the light that said LIVe flickered of. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the Report was over.

But the Selection was just starting. And I was terrified.

 **A/N So there it is! Those are the Selected girls! I don't know when I will update the next chapter, but stay tuned! Please review! Thanks everyone for reading!**


	9. Plane Rides

**A/N Hello! Let's start the chapter!**

 _Rose Maynard's POV_

It took forever for the instructor to find me. I didn't really "live" anywhere. Apparently, they looked through the streets of Allens. That must have been hard!

Anyways, now I was walking through the doors of the airport to the meeting spot. When I got to the meeting spot I was welcomed by a hug.

"Hi!" I heard someone say.

The person finally let go of me. She had blonde hair and brown eyes.

"You're Rose, right?" she said.

"Uh, yeah?"

There was an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry, I can't remember your name," I said sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm Brynn. Brynn Ackerman from Carolina. Nice to meet you!" she said.

"Nice to meet you to," I said. "Where are the girls from Kent and Clermont?"

"Not here yet," she answered. "You hungry?"

"Yeah!" I almost yelled, then quieted down.

"Here!" she said, giving me a sandwich.

I bit into it and sighed with happiness. It was so good! I gobbled it down as fast as I could!

"Wow, you eat fast!" Brynn said with a smile.

We heard shoes hitting floor, and turned around. Two girls were coming toward us. One had brown hair and blue eyes, and the other had auburn hair and green eyes.

"Hi!" Brynn said, hugging the girls, who were surprised.

"Hi," I said, getting up to greet them.

"Hi! I'm Livia, nice to meet you!" said the brown haired girl, who had escaped Brynn.

"I'm Rose," I said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Ladies? Are you all here?" said a man in a suit.

He looked us over and nodded.

"Follow me," he said, walking toward a tunnel-like thing.

We all walked through it. Brynn looked like she had done it a thousand times, the auburn-haired girl was following her, and was looking around. Livia looked uncertain.

"Here we are," the man said.

I looked around the airplane in wonder. The seats looked so cushy, there was a lady in a maid's outfit with a _whole cart_ full of food!

"Please sit," she said, motioning to the seats.

I sat in the seat next to the window, and Livia sat next to me.

"Lady Livia, Lady Rose, would you like any food?" the maid asked.

"Yeah!" Livia and I said at the same time. She looked at me, and we giggled.

Livia got a chocolate cookie, and I got a slice of chocolate cake. When I bit into it, it was like paradise in my mouth!

"This is AMAZING!" I whispered, in awe.

"I know, right!" Brynn said, peeking over the back of her chair.

When I was an eight, I hardly got food! Now I was on a fancy airplane eating chocolate cake!

About five amazing hours later, the plane touched down. The same man from before came to where we were sitting.

"Ladies, we have arrived. Now, there will be lots of fans outside, so you may be overwhelmed. You may interact with them, but you will have to get in the car," he told us.

We followed him to the door, and he opened it. My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open.

There were gates to hold the throngs of fans outside. Lots of them had signs with names on them. Brynn had lots, and there were some with "Chrystal" on it, which must be the girl with auburn hair. I noticed some of them had my name on it.

The other girls were walking out of the plane, so I followed. I decided to go to some people holding a sign that said "GO ROSE!" on it.

"Lady Rose! Will you give me your autograph?" the girl asked.

"Uh, sure," I said.

I signed my name, adding swirls to it. I guess this is now my autograph.

"Lady Rose!" the man yelled.

I saw him motion toward the limo.

"Uh, bye?" I said to the girl.

"Bye! I'm rooting for you!" the girl said.

I entered the limo, looking outside. As we drove, I still saw fans!

"Ladies, we have arrived at the palace," the man said.

We all got out of the limo, to see even more fans!

"Just go into the palace!" the man yelled over the screams of the crowd.

I walked to the doors, and then stopped. This was so overwhelming, it was hard to take a single step!

I swallowed, and looked at the doors. I stepped through them, ready to start my new life.

 _Elise Ruby Olivia Sharp's POV_

I looked out the window of the airplane. I was traveling with three other people, and one was not very nice. No that's an understatement. She is annoying the heck out of me!

"Now I'm in "Jason and Delilah", and the plot line sucks, but the director is a mega hottie," she babbled.

"Can you please stop talking? It's getting really annoying," I said.

I clapped my hand over my mouth. Why can't I just shut up sometimes! I always say right what comes into my head!

Courtney looked at me from over her seat, glaring at me.

"Excuse me! You're just a dirty four! You have no right to talk back to me!" she sneered.

"Just because you're a two doesn't mean we have to bow down to you!" I said, clapping my hand over my mouth again.

"Y-you, you!" Courtney could barely contain her anger. "You will regret ever talking back to me, Elise Sharp!"

"I think that was awesome," Emily, the girl sitting next to me whispered in my ear.

"Thanks," I whispered back.

"And, OMG, I cannot believe Brynn Ackerman is in the Selection! I hate her, she is so annoying!" Courtney kept talking. I sighed and looked out the window. This was going to be a long ride.

 _Elodie Marc's POV_

I couldn't stop smiling.

I walked to the meeting place. I was pretty sure I would have gotten there first, after all, we were meeting in my home province, Labrador, but apparently not. I saw the girl from Waverly, Mackenzie Wells, sitting on a chair, drawing.

"Hi!" I said cheerfully.

"Hi," she said.

"Are you MacKenzie?" I asked her.

"Yes! I presume you are Elodie Marc?" She said.

"Yes!"

"It's good to meet you!" Mackenzie said.

"You too!"

"Where's the girl from Lakedon? I thought she would come with you?" she asked.

"I don't know. They said she was taking to long and sent me alone."

"Well she's coming."

I turned around. Tilly, the girl from Lakedon was behind me, looking at us.

"Hi?" Tilly said.

"Hi! I'm Elodie, are you Tilly?"

"Uh . . . Duh!" she said in a nasally voice. She pulled out her phone and started texting, so I turned around and started talking to Mackenzie again.

About five minutes later a girl came in. She had brown hair fading to blonde, and walked with an air of sophistication.

"Hi! Are you Eva Moon?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said.

"Ladies, we are behind schedule, please board the plane," a man in a suit said.

We got settled in pretty fast, I sat next to Mackenzie, and Eva sat next to Tilly, who was babbling about something. Eva didn't seem to mind though, I noticed she had ear-buds in.

I looked out the window. I had a feeling that the Selection was going to be fun.

 _Prince Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

My heart felt like a drum. _Thump thump._

The girls were coming.

A girl who had came alone had passed through the hall fifteen minutes ago. I couldn't see her face because of her sunglasses, but I was pretty sure she was Lady Vivian.

Now two girls were passing through, and I was was pretty sure they were Lady Kyli and Lady Destiny. And there was going to be more girls.

I ran to my room, laying on my bed. I had ran scared from a bunch of girls who weren't even here.

How was I going to survive the Selection?

 **A/N And there we go! That is this chapter done! I was going to do the next two chapters on makeovers, but if you want more plane rides, I will do just that! Please review and say who you want a POV from, and vote on the poll on my profile! Thanks to all!**


	10. More Plane Rides!

**A/N Hello Fanfiction! I have no idea why I just wrote that, but whatever.**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Thanks! :D**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Thanks! Don't worry, this chapter is about plane rides too! I like Rose as well!**

 **Thanks! :)**

 **As I mentioned before, this chapter will be about plane rides! You wanted them, so I will do it! Enjoy the chapter!**

 _Cassandra Dove's POV_

 _Chin up, back straight, graceful gait,_ I told myself. I was going to be meeting the other Selected, so I have to look and act my best. At least, that what my mom thinks.

I entered the meeting, nodding at the men who opened it for me, who pointed in a direction which I assumed was the way to go.

The girl who was with me, Sabrina Scott from Sota, was pretty much silent the whole trip. She looked almost just like me, with blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was a bit shorter.

I noticed the other girls waiting for us, who I recognized as Raelynn Derryn and Amber Heartly. Raelynn was drawing, and Amber was writing something.

"Hello," I said to them.

"Hi! I'm Amber, but you probably already knew that," she said, sticking out her hand to shake it.

"I'm Cassandra," I said, shaking her hand.

"I'm Raelynn, but you can call me Rae!" said Rae.

"I'm Sabrina," Sabrina said quietly.

We all sat down. Sabrina was drawing, and so was Raelynn. Amber went back to writing whatever she was writing. I looked around the airport, which was empty, besides a man with a suit.

"Ladies, please get on the plane," he said. We all got up and followed him.

When we were seated on the plane, a maid came around with a food cart. I ordered a fruit tart, while Sabrina ordered a snickerdoodle, and we ate in silence. Rae started talking to Amber, and it was kinda awkward.

I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand. I was really nervous yesterday, and didn't get much sleep. I found myself leaning against the wall, and my eyes closing . . .

"Hey, Cassandra," a person said.

I rubbed my eyes, yawning as I woke up. I saw Sabrina shaking me awake.

"What?" I asked.

"The plane touched down, it's time to go," she said. I blushed. Of course, why would she wake me up otherwise!

"Yes, of course," I said, getting up.

We all walked outside, where the sun seemed extra bright to me. I stepped back in surprise.

There were so many people! They were holding signs, which said people's names on it. I did see signs with my name on it, which made me smile.

We walked down the steps. I went to talk to my fans, being as graceful as I could. _Chin up, back straight, graceful gait._

"Lady Cassandra, please give me your autograph!" a girl yelled loudly.

"Of course, here," I said, signing a piece of paper.

"Lady Cassandra! We know you are a veterinarian, why?" a reporter asked me.

"Well, I love to be around animals. I feel really happy when I am with them," I answered.

I noticed a lot of the girls were slowly walking to the limo, so I followed suit. Soon, we were all in the limo. It was still quiet.

We quickly got to the palace. It was massive! I stepped out of the limo. I was polite to everyone. I hoped, though, that I could make some friends that I could open up to, and that the prince would see me for who I was.

 _Arianna Foster's POV_

I walked into the airport, looking around. Where was I supposed to go? I then saw a sign saying _The Selected_ , with a arrow. Oh, oops.

I followed the arrow, and saw two girls. One had blonde hair and green eyes, and the other had black hair and green eyes. I remembered that they were Lady Merideth and Lady Amourette.

"Hello," I greeted them.

"Hey," Amourette said.

"Hi!" Merideth said cheerfully, giving me a hug.

"Wow, your outfit!" she said, looking at it. I looked down.

All the Selected had to wear the same outfit, but I wanted to stand out, so I changed mine a bit. My white shirt was more of a sarong, with only one sleeve. It wasn't too revealing though, which was good. It was also tighter than normal, but not in a bad way.

"Oh. I kinda wanted to stand out. Do you like it?" I asked, a bit nervous.

"I love it! It's really cool!" she said, which made me smile.

"I'm Amourette. You can call me Mo though," Mo said, smiling.

"Arianna. Though you already knew that," I joked. Mo smiled.

"So, the girl from St. George isn't here yet?" I asked.

"She's here now," a voice said. I turned around.

Tiffany stood there, a sweet smile on her face. Her hair had champagne ombre, and was blonde. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green. She seemed pretty nice.

"Hi! I'm Tiffany!" she said.

"Arianna."

"Amourette, but call me Mo."

"I'm Merideth!"

Tiffany sat down with us, and started chatting with Merideth. This was pretty fun!

I noticed a man who looked like he would fly a plane. He looked at us, and yelled, "Alright ladies, it's time to go!"

We all got up and walked toward the tunnel behind the man. We sat in the seats, I sat next to Mo, and Tiffany sat next to Merideth. Mo brought out her phone, and started texting.

"Who's Zane?" I asked, peeking on her phone.

"Oh, he's my brother," she said.

The plane ride was cool. I don't ride in planes that much, so it was a bit new. I chatted with Mo until we touched down.

"There will be lots of people when you come out, so be warned," the plane man said.

We walked out of the plane. Angeles wasn't new to me, but fans were. SO MANY people were jumping up and down and cheering for us as we walked down the stairs. I was overwhelmed. I didn't know what to do!

I chatted with my fans, but not much. I wanted to get this part done. I stepped in the limo, the first one there, but the others soon joined me.

It was really starting.

The Selection.

 _Princess Kalliope Virgo Schreave's POV_

I peeked out of mine and my sister's room. My brother wasn't here, great! I walked over to his room, and looked in. There was nobody here.

I saw a pile of papers on his desk. They _had_ to be the Selected girls. I grabbed them and ran to our room as fast as I could.

"I got them!" I cheered.

"What?" Luna asked, getting off her loft.

Our room was sorta weird. There was two platforms, which were our HUGE beds, and the space under it was our personal space. Other than that, we shared the room. We did have separate bathrooms though.

"The Selected girl's papers," I said, sitting down on the rug.

"What!" she yelled, well, not that loudly.

"Come on, we're going to look through them."

"But isn't the prince only supposed to do that?"

"I don't think it's a rule. And if it is, well, I don't always play by the rules."

Luna couldn't find an answer to that, so she sat down with me.

"First," I said, "Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman."

"Oh yeah, she's the daughter of Carolina's governor," Luna said.

Brynn was pretty, and had a nice smile.

"Then, Elodie Marc."

Elodie must have been French, and I liked her eyes.

"Amber Heartly," Amber had black hair and cool gray eyes, and was a bit intimidating. Luna looked at her warily.

"Next, Saymona McKinlay," Saymona had dark skin, which looked good with her black hair and green eyes. Why am I even describing them! I already saw them on The Report!

"Courtney Calastroro," I cringed. Courtney was a well known actress, but also had a totally bad attitude.

"Rubyanne June Crescent," Rubyanne was pretty, and Luna smiled slightly.

"Eva-" I was interrupted when my older brother stomped into my room. Luna gasped.

"Give me back my papers. NOW," he said angrily.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked, smirking.

Leo blushed crimson red, and snatched the papers from my hand. He stomped out the room.

I smiled. Annoying my brother was just so much fun!

 **A/N So that is the end of this chapter! Please vote on the poll on who will get the first date, and review saying which girl do you want to get a POV! The next chapter will be makeovers! Have a wonderful day or night!**


	11. Before and After

**A/N Hello! So, I was wondering, should I change the title of this story? I have one in mind, but I'm not sure if I should change it yet.**

 **xXNewZealandMaoriXx: I think you will like who gets a POV in this chapter :)**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: You're welcome (this reminds me of a song from Moana . . .) Hopefully the makeovers will be epic! Or pretty . . .**

 **Guest: I will, thanks for the suggestion!**

 **Song Recommendation: B-e-autiful by Megan Nicole**

 **Now, the chapter will begin!**

 _Kyli Evenne's POV_

I never wanted to be here. I never expected to be here. Even after my parents signed me up, I never thought I would be Selected. Likely wasn't the biggest province, but it still was a good size. So I never thought I would be walking to a chair for a makeover in the palace.

I sat down, three maids waiting for me, and they went down in a deep curtsey.

"It is a honor to serve you, Lady Kyli. I am Chloe, your head maid."

"I am Alexa." said one of the others.

"And I am Rosalind."

"Tis an honor, my lady" Alexa and Rosalind said at the same time.

"Oh, um, nice to meet you," I started to get up to go into a curtsey, but Chloe stopped me.

"You don't curtsey to sixes," she said quietly, which made me blush a little.

"Oh," I said.

"Now, what would your image like to be?" Chloe asked.

"My what?"

"Your image. How people see you," Chloe said.

I hadn't really thought about it before. Most people liked my eyes, so maybe something to do with them? I also didn't want people to think I was a doormat.

"Well, I kinda want to look like you can't walk over me, but still look nice. Do you get that?" I asked my maids.

"Yeah, we got it. Is it okay if we straighten your hair? I think it would look better, not that it doesn't look great already! Also, we should make your eyes stand out, is that okay?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, it's fine! I was thinking about my eyes too!" I said, and Chloe smiled.

Chloe started straightening my hair, and my back was to the mirror so I couldn't see what I looked like. Rosalind was painting my nails with a nail polish called _Scarlett Blood_ , and she said that she would do my toes as well. I closed my eyes, so that Alexa would add mascara and other makeup to my eyes, and color to my cheeks.

I didn't understand why I was so excited. I mean, I didn't even sign up. But I couldn't help the giddy smile that crossed my face.

About ten minutes later, the maids let me open my eyes and spun me around. I gasped with delight.

My hair did look better straight, and it made it a bit longer as well. Alexa had made my eyes stand out a lot, she gave me smokey eyes with the color silver, and my eyelashes were longer too. My cheeks were pink, and my lips were the same color. My nails were a lustrous red that glimmered. I was absolutely breathtaking.

"I-I," I stammered.

"What?" Chloe asked, looking worried.

"It's absolutely amazing! You guys are so good! I could never do what you do!" I praised them.

"It is nothing. Now, we have to pick your scent!" Chloe said, bring me over to a tray with tons of perfume bottles.

I looked through them. Strawberries smelled a bit weird, and Pine Trees was a bit too strong. I found one called Vanilla and smelled it. It was not to strong, and a bit simple, but sweet.

"This one," I said, holding up the bottle. My maids sprayed me all over.

My maids left to find a dress for me, so I sat on my chair to wait. They didn't take long though, they came back with a gown that was a sky/teal blue, which was a bit tight, but not so it was inappropriate, and it had spaghetti straps, and they also came back with red high-heels to match my nails. Rosalind handed me the things I needed to put the dress on. I went to the dressing room, and my maids helped me put the dress on me, and put a necklace with a red teardrop shaped pendant around my neck. I put on the shoes.

I was beautiful. I was gorgeous.

Maybe the Selection wouldn't be as bad as I thought.

 _Brynn Alexis Harper Ackerman's POV_

I had to keep myself from skipping to my seat for the makeovers. I was so happy!

"Lady Brynn, it is a honor. I am your maid, Alison," one of the maids said.

"Truly a honor, I am Andraya."

"I am Ashley. A honor to serve you."

"Please, call me Brynn!" I told them.

"Um, but La-," I interrupted Alison.

"Brynn," I said.

"Brynn," Alison said, smiling.

"So, what do you want your image to be?" Alison asked.

"Hmm, my image," I thought. I usually wore crop tops and jeans, but that would not be acceptable at the palace. I decided to do something a bit different.

"For my image, I want it to be sort of autumn-ish. You know, with autumn colored makeup, and could you use orange, brown, and red for colors?" I asked Alison.

"Of course!" she answered.

Alison started on my makeup, adding red makeup around my eyes. She put lipstick on me, and added mascara to my eyelashes. Andraya brushed my hair, and added more hair dye to the bottom of my hair. Ashley was doing my nails, and putting lotion on my hands and arms. I had many makeovers as an actress, but this one was even more magical than the others.

The makeover hardly took any time. It seemed to be over in minutes. It was probably longer, and I just hadn't noticed. Time flies when you're having fun!

"Lad-Brynn," Alison said, "Look."

I stared in the mirror. My brown eyes were outlined with orange, and the lipstick Alison chose was the color of red autumn leaves. My nails were orange and brown swirls, and were clipped nicely. I had never been this beautiful.

"It's amazing," I whispered.

"You like it?" Ashley asked.

"Of course!" I squealed, hugging my maids. "It's awesome!"

"Next, we have to choose a scent," Andraya said.

I looked through the bottles. I liked a bunch! Cinnamon smelled yummy, Mascarpone was nice and sweet, Honey was sweet as well, Star Anise smelled a bit strong, but I liked it.

"Is it okay to have four?" I asked.

"Well yeah, but we have a scent that has all of them in it. It's called Autumn Fusion," Ashley handed to me.

I took the cap of and smelled it. The blend smelled really good!

"I choose this!" I said. My maids sprayed me.

"Wait here, we have to get you a dress and shoes," Alison said.

They came back with a dress that was orange, and faded into brown.

"I love it!" I said.

"Come one, we'll help you put it on," Alison said.

The dress went perfectly with my makeup and nails. I wore burnt orange colored stilettos that showed of my pedicure.

I smiled. This was going to be so much fun!

 _Amber Heartly's POV_

I sat down in the makeover seat.

"Okay, what do we have to do?" I asked.

"W-well, Lady Amber, we have to choose your image," one of my maid's said, in a half curtsey.

"I don't really mind what you do. Just please don't make it too girly," I said bluntly.

"O-okay?" the maid said.

"Lady Amber, is it okay if I do your nails with this color?" another maid asked, showing me a color of gray. "It would bring out your eyes."

"Sure," I said, shrugging.

I learned that my maid's names were Shila, Verna, and Jen. Verna was my head maid, and was now curling my hair. Shila was doing my nails, and Jenn was doing my makeup. My eyes were going to be outlined in blue, and they were going to add mascara. They were putting red lipstick on me, and my hair was going to be curled. My nails were going to be gray, but I could see Shila adding some purple-blue color. They finished pretty fast.

"Okay, we're done!" Verna said, spinning the chair around.

To my surprise, I sucked in a breath. My eyes stood out, the blue and the gray looking amazing together. My hair looked great curled, and my nails were a beautiful blend of gray and blue/purple. I found out that my mouth was open.

"I like it," I said, smiling. Jenn let out a breath.

"What would you like your scent to be?" Verna asked.

"Roses," I said. Shila ran to find it, and I followed her.

"It's over here," Shila said, spraying me with the scent, and Verna and Jenn followed.

"Wait here, we need to find a dress," Verna said.

My maids came back with a velvety lush purple dress that went down to the floor. It showed off my shoulders, but was held by lighted pieces of fabric on the middle of my upper arm. They helped me put the dress on. The shoes were peep-toe heels that were a light wine color. I smiled.

"I love it," I told my maids.

 _Vivian Seraphina Chancler's POV_

I rolled my eyes. My maids were so slow! My makeover was taking forever! The people at my modeling studio were much faster.

"When are you going to be done?" I asked my head maid, Dina.

"W-we will be done soon my lady!" she stammered.

"Good," I said, studying my nails that were already done. They were okay.

Veronica was slightly curling my hair, and Elly was doing my makeup. I had chosen light pink lipstick today, so she was applying that now, and already did my eyes in gold, but it was subtle. Dina was doing my nails, they were gold and red. The look would be okay.

"Lady Vivian, we are done," Dina said.

"Good. That took forever!" I moaned.

When I looked in the mirror, I found I looked really good. The gold eye shadow flaunted my blue eyes, and my hair was nice. My lips were full and pink, and my nails were so pretty. I wanted to say that I loved it, but I pulled myself together.

"It's better than expected. You could do way better though," I said.

"Of course Lady Vivian. Now what scent would you like?" Dina asked. I brushed past her.

I looked through them. My favorites were Blueberry and Vanilla, so I handed them to Dina. They sprayed me all over. It smelled nice.

"We will be back soon with a dress," Elly said.

It still took to long. They did come back though, with a tight fit navy blue dress that came up just above my ankles. They gave me shoes to match, and also a blue and gold bracelet.

It looked nice. It was a bit too tight for my taste, but other then that, it was nice.

I walked out of the station with the most confidence I could muster.

I was going to win this.

 _Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

I st on my bed, fuming. Kalliope was nice, but she could be so annoying!

Anyways, this would be a good time to look through the papers. It would be super embarrassing to not remember the girls names.

The first one was Lady Elise. She was a four, and had long light brown hair, and a happy smile. I liked her.

Next, Lady Danielle. She was a seven, but was really pretty. She had dark brown hair and eyes, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. It went well with her olive skin.

After that was Lady Sabrina. She had a small smile, and looked somewhat worried.

"Hmmmm," I said aloud. The next girl was Cassandra Dove. She had great posture, and a small, polite smile. I could see her being popular with the people.

Lady Rose. She was a huge surprise. Father was furious. She was an eight! I wouldn't hold that against her, but she was interesting.

Next, Lady Tiffany. Her hair was blonde, but faded into a champagne color. She had a sweet smile.

Lady Emily. She had brown hair in beachy waves, but her smile was different. A bit . . . closed off.

I was terrified of the girls.

And yet, I can't wait to meet them.

 **A/N That is the end of the chapter! Do you want more makeovers? Also, I made a Pinterest, which is called ArmaduraStar7, just like FanFiction. Go there for faceclaims on Leo and the twin princesses! Please review! Love you all!**


	12. A Tour

**A/N Hi! I will probably not update for awhile, I will be super busy for the holidays! Today's shout-outs!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: I feel bad for him as well! Don't worry, Cassandra's chances are just fine! Thanks! :D**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Thank you! The makeover does give insight to the girls, I've never noticed that! He is kinda scared of the Selected girls.**

 **: Thanks! Leo is pretty cute, he will have plenty of POVs! I was hoping that I wrote Vivian correctly, I'm glad that I did!**

 **Guest: I will soon!**

 **Time to start the chapter!**

 _Chrystal Aileen Veronessi's POV_

A big smile had been on my face since I got to the palace. I was now getting my makeover, and I was so excited.

Heavenly, my head maid, was straightening the top of my hair, and was going to curl the bottom, giving me layers in the front. Yolanda was doing my nails in pink, and Lulu was making my eyes stand out. I was positively giddy with happiness.

"Is it okay if I add sparkles, Lady Chrystal?" Yolanda asked.

"Sure!" I said. "And please just call me Chrystal!"

"Of course!" Yolanda said.

I watched as Yolanda added sparkles, then had to close my eyes so Lulu could add mascara. I've never had a makeover before. I mean, I was a four, but we weren't rich. I have put on makeup before, but nothing like this.

"Okay, we're done!" Heavenly said. She spinned my chair around.

I was speechless. My hair had layers in the front, and other then that it was in curls, but slightly messy. It looked cute messy. My eyes stood out with _lots_ of mascara, and also eyeliner. I was super pretty.

"This is amazing," I said quietly. My maids looked like they had to keep in their squeals.

"We are glad you like it," Heavenly said.

"Now, you must pick your signature scent," Lulu said, pointing to a tray full of bottles.

I looked through them, and ended up picking Wild Berries. It was smelled nice, a bit wild, and had a hint of rose.

My maids went to get me a dress. I sat down, and saw another girl near me. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was studying her nails. I immediately recognized her as Courtney Calastroro. She was so famous!

"Hi! I'm Chrystal!" I said.

She looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"I like your movies!"

She said nothing.

"Ummmm, hi?"

"Listen, I don't like you. Stop trying to be friends. I would never make friends with a four," she spat.

"Um, a four isn't a low caste. Why are you being so mean?" I asked.

She never answered me, because her maids came back with a dress.

"Ugh, that dress is so ugly! Can you do anything right!" she screamed loudly.

Thankfully, my maids came with a pretty dress. Actually, pretty didn't do it justice. It was beautiful, breathtaking.

It was a pale pink, and got darker as the dress got longer. It came with a necklace, and I couldn't wait to wear it.

It looked amazing. My auburn hair and nails looked perfect with the color of the dress, and the jewelry matched well. The shoes also matched the dress, pale pink stilettos that showed a lot of my feet.

"This is amazing," was all I could say.

 _Elodie Marc's POV_

I followed our instructor, Gwynne, through the palace. It was huge!

"So, this is the woman's room. You will be staying in here for most of the day," she said.

The room was white, with comfy chairs and couches. There was a white piano, and tables with books and magazines. It looked like a cool place to hang out.

"Now we will be going up to your rooms."

I followed Gwynne up the stairs. Raelynn was whispering with Merideth, and they seemed to already be friends. I was a bit lonely, so I went to talk to Amorette.

"Hi! Amorette, right!" I said to her.

"Yeah, but most people call me Mo. My name is super long!" she joked.

"Okay! I'm Elodie, but you can call me El if you want!"

"Okay, I'll call you El!" she said.

"Lady Elodie, this is your room," Gwynne said.

"Meet me in the woman's room later!" Mo said. I nodded.

I entered the room. Somehow, my maids were already there!

"How did you get here!" I asked them.

"We have our ways," my head maid, Cora, said.

I gasped.

I didn't notice the room. It was white, with a beautiful circle bed, with two night tables and a bench. The room was breathtaking.

"Now, Lady Elodie, we must show you the bathroom," June said.

Like the room, the bathroom was amazing. It had a circle shaped bath with curtains, and the mirror was beautifully crafted, and everything in the bathroom was amazing. There was even a chandelier! In the bathroom!

"It is getting late. Would you like a bath, my lady?" Annika asked.

"Yeah! Also, just call me Elodie. The lady stuff is weird."

My maids prepared a bath for me. The water was warm, and I almost fell asleep.

After I changed into my new nightgown, I collapsed on the bed. It was so comfy, I could feel myself falling asleep . . .

 _Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

I couldn't sleep. Tomorrow I would meet the girls.

Sleeping was impossible.


	13. A Meeting

**A/N Hello! Sorry this isn't Leo meeting the girls, I got a suggestion from a friend that Leo should meet one of the girls, so I will do that suggestion!**

 **Guest: Maxon and America aren't his parents. If you look on my profile, you can see who and what his parents are and are like! They are most likely before Maxon was born.**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Thanks!**

 **xXNewZealandMaoriXx: Thank you!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Hmmm, Courtney could get punched in the face . . . a new idea! You shall see how Leo handles the girls in the next chapter! Happy Holidays!**

 **Guest: Yay!**

 **Guest: The update is here!**

 _Leopold Eliot Schreave's POV_

I didn't know what suit to wear. Blue or black? Which one would girls like? I had texted Tristan, the Royal Advisor's son, to come to my room early to talk. So when I heard a knock on the door, I assumed it was him.

It wasn't.

I found myself staring at a girl. She wasn't one of my sisters, and wasn't wearing the uniform of the maids. I suddenly recognized her as one of the Selected.

Lady Danielle was short. I easily loomed over her. Her hair was black. Or was it brown? Her eyes were dark brown. Her skin was bronze color. I remembered that she was a Seven. She was very pretty.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Your Highness!" she said, going into a flawless curtsey.

"It's okay," I said, flustered.

"I thought that there might be a maid to show me where the dining room is, I never thought that this would be Your Highnesses room. Please forgive me."

"Don't worry, it's okay. The palace is huge. It's natural to get lost," I said.

"The dining room is downstairs. Take a right, a left, go straight, and then another right."

"Okay. Thank you, Your Highness," she said.

Lady Danielle walke of, down the stairs. Just as she started going down the stairs, Tristan started walking up.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"One of the Selected," I explained to him what she had said.

"Oh. So you needed help?" he asked.

"Yeah. What suit should I wear?"

 **A/N Sorry this is short, I wanted to update. I will be doing the meetings next, I swear! See you next time! Happy Holidays!**


	14. Introductions Pt1

**A/N Hello again!**

 **: You're welcome! Leo does have to get out his nerves and talk to someone. Danielle is nice. Why are you up at 5:30 am?**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-to: That would be a good strategy. Now I really want Courtney to get punched because it would be totally deserved!**

 **Guest: I'm glad you liked it!**

 __ _Leo's POV_

Okay. It's really happening. I entered the room of girls, Tristan next to me.

All the girls looked over to where we were. Some smiled, one winked. Okay, now I'm really nervous.

"Ladies, I will be meeting you one at a time. I might need it to be short. Is that okay?" I asked.

The girls were okay with that, so I brought the first one over. Lady Rose sort of wobbled to the chair. Suddenly, she slipped on the carpet. Before she fell though, I grabbed her hand. She didn't fall, which was good.

"Sorry! Walking in heels is hard!" she said.

"Really? I've never tried," I joked.

Her hand was thin, and very bony. I remembered that she was a Eight.

"How do you like the palace?" I asked.

"It's great! The dresses are really nice!" she said.

I learned that she liked sunsets and the outdoors. She was kind, and I liked her. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm sorry this is short, but I have 34 other girls to meet," I said.

"Oh, of course! It was nice meeting you!" she said, walking clumsily to her seat.

The next girl came over. Lady Vivian walked over, but this time with confidence. Her hand was on her hip.

"Good morning," she said.

"Uh, g-good morning," I stuttered. She smiled.

"S-so, I understand you are a model."

"Yes," she said, twirling a lock of her light brown hair with a manicured finger.

 _Wait. Is she flirting?_ I asked myself. I swallowed hard, and my heart started to beat faster. My face felt hot, was I blushing?

After our time ran out (thank god), the next girl came. I noticed Kalliope about to burst out in laughter, and I glared out her.

"How has your morning been, Lady Arianna?" I asked.

"Hungry," she said.

"Sorry for the wait."

"It's okay," she said. Her eyes were green and gray. That was a strange pairing, but it looked nice. Her chestnut colored hair was a bit messy, which was a surprise, though not a bad one.

The next girl, Lady Esperanza, was nice. However, she asked me if she could leave.

"Uh, s-sure, but why would you want to leave?"

"I have a boyfriend at home. I never thought I would get picked, but now that I am, I really want to apologize to him. I truly love him"

After Lady Esperanza, I decided I would have a elimination after I met all the girls. There might be more girls who want to leave, and I didn't want to stop them. Also, there may be girls who were just plain annoying or rude. I definitely wouldn't want to keep them.

Lady Courtney was a nightmare.

"Hello Prince Leo," she said.

"Good morning. So, I hear that you are a actress," I said.

"Yeah, I'm an actress. Very famous."

"What movies have you been in?"

"Well," she said, batting her eyelashes. "I've been in 'Never Again' and 'Goodbye Now.' Ever heard of them?"

"Uh . . . no?"

"We should see them," she smiled, but it just didn't seem right. There's a word for that.

Fake. It seemed so fake. That's the word I was looking for.

The next girl, Lady Amber, walked up with a notebook. I wonder if she forgot to put it down.

"Hello," she said.

"Good morning Lady Amber. How do you like the palace?"

"It's big. And fancy."

"May I ask what is that notebook for?"

"This is for writing music. I'm a music producer. It's my job. I brought it with me to get inspiration."

We talked a bit more. She was blunt, but I liked it. It was a bit off a change from the people I was around most of the time.

The next girl, Lady Julie May, was boring. She rambled on and on about songs she was singing, and all the notes and stuff. She wouldn't be staying for much longer.

I called the next girl over. Lady Emily was quiet. She answered most sentences with one word. She was pretty, and I wanted to get to know her better.

Lady Brynn was wearing autumn colors, which looked good with her hair. It was blonde, but faded into a autumn color.

"Good morning," I greeted her.

"Good morning Your Highness," she said.

"How has the Selection been going for you?"

"It's great! My maids are awesome, and the girls are nice. Well, most of them," she said cheerfully. Lady Brynn was very kind, I liked her energy.

"It is great to meet you Your Highness," the next girl, Lady Chrystal said.

"You too, Lady Chrystal."

Lady Chrystal was sweet, but I noticed something. Tristan kept looking at her. Hmmm, why? Was I missing something?

Lady Destiny was strange. She was polite and mysterious, and she intrigued me.

The next girl was Lady Raelynn. She was from Dakota.

She told me to call her Rae, and she had dark brown eyes and a caring smile. She was sweet.

"It is nice to meet you, Lady Elise," I smiled at her.

"You too, Your Highness," she said.

Elise was tall. She even seemed taller than me. She also talked a lot, which was a relief. That meant I didn't have to talk. These girls made me nervous. That was a understatement.

Lady Saymona walked over to me with a spring in her step.

"Good morning!" she said happily. She curtseyed, it was a bit wobbly, but otherwise good.

Saymona, who told me to call her Mona, was bubbly. She made me smile, and I liked that.

Next, Lady Minnie. She was outright rude. She complained about the food, and that the living conditions at home were horrible. She was very whiny. I didn't like her very much. Her nose was hooked, and her voice reminded me of a buzzing fly.

"The pancakes were overcooked, they tasted weird," she complained. God, she was annoying.

Lady Eva was mysterious. I asked her some questions, and she answered with just enough information to keep me interested. Was this a scheme? Her hair was light brown, and had blonde ombre.

Lady Annie was convinced she would get chosen.

"When are you just going to end the Selection and choose me? It has been torture to actually _talk_ with the other girls!" she asked.

She was not going to stay.

 _Kalliope's POV_

This was the most hilarious thing ever! I could watch this for hours.

My brother was so awkward with these girls. Especially with Vivian. He started blushing redder than a tomato. I didn't speak because I feared to start laughing. I caught Leo's eye, and he glared at me.

I was hungry. Leo was taking forever. Somewhere in there I should sneak in the kitchens to steal extra food.

 _Tristan's POV_

Kalliope looked like she would explode with laughter. The Vivian thing was pretty funny. But, for some reason, Chrystal interested me.

No. That wasn't the word. Is there a word for when you can't stop looking at someone? If there is, I don't know it

 **A/N What word do you think he is searching for? I hope you liked the chapter! Please review! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Introductions Pt2

**A/N Hello again!**

 **Guest: Thi chapter does have her in it, but if you want a POV, I will do one very soon!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Mmm, now I want to eat a cinnamon roll. Checkin her out? Well, that could be a word for that . . .**

 **: EMOJI!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Yes you do! Thank you!**

 **Sparklingdust112: Don't worry, that didn't seem rude! The criticism is helpful, so thanks! I like Kalliope as well. I like drama in books. Thanks!**

 **Guest: Hmm, attracted is a good word.**

 **Guest: This is the extension!**

 **Also, for the person who created Livia, a seamstress is a six's job, that's why I made her a six.**

 _Leo's POV_

Lady Cassandra walked up to me. She had perfect posture, and her chin was held high.

"Good morning Lady Cassandra," I said.

"Good morning Your Highness."

"Has your time here been good?"

"It has been very nice. I am honored to be here," she answered.

Cassandra was very polite, I could tell the public would like her. However, it just seemed strange. I don't know, something was up with her.

"How are you, Lady Livia?" I asked the next girl.

"It's been great!" she said.

Livia was sweet, and I liked her. She also seemed determined.

The next girl, Lady Elodie, came up to me with a smile on her face.

"Hello!" she said.

"Um, hi."

Elodie was very lively, and giggled a lot. I liked her. I saw her chatting with another Selected, Amorette?

I called the next girl over. Lady Tilly walked over with a seductive smile on her face.

"Hello, Prince," she purred.

"Umm, good morning," I said, already feeling my face warm up.

She sort of tried to stroke my knee, and I pulled back.

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Well, I am going to bear you children. But before that, you need to choose me."

"O-our times up!"

"Hmf, well, I'll see you later!" she said.

I thought Kalliope would be cracking up right now, but she was glaring fiercely at Tilly, and looked like she was thinking _if you touch my brother I will stab you many times with a knife._

The next girl, Lady Kyli was sweet. She praised me a lot, but was overall very nice.

Valorie Bloom, the swimmer was a bit strange. She said she didn't like fancy stuff, but she said she was okay with it. Weird.

Lady Rubyanne had her hair up, so there was red in her dark brown hair. She was tall, and had pink cheeks.

"Good morning," she greeted.

Rubyanne was curious. She seemed smart, and I liked her.

Lady Christine was nice, just a bit bland. I felt like I could forget her in a heartbeat.

Lady Danielle walked to my seat. When she sat down, I noticed she was on the edge of her seat, like she would have to get up and run at a moment's notice.

"Did my directions serve you well?" I asked.

"Yes, they did. Thank you very much."

"So." I asked, wanting to get to know her better. "What do you do back in your province?"

This question seemed to make her uncomfortable and maybe a little scared.

"I'm-I'm," she stuttered. "I'm a professional escort."

"Oh." I said, at loss for words.

The rest of my time with her was pretty awkward.

Kara kept poking her tongue out slightly. It was just weird.

"So, how has your time been at the castle?" cue the tongue poking.

The next girl, Sabrina Scott, was reserved.

"How has your time been here?" I asked.

"It's been nice," she said.

She was like that the whole time. I hoped this is over soon, I was hungry.

Lady Tiffany had golden blonde hair that faded into a champagne. She was tall, and had deep blue and green eyes. She was pretty.

I learned that she was a singer, and a I noticed she had a pretty voice, even when she wasn't singing.

Next was the sweaty girl. Arabella? Yeah, that sounds right.

She walked up to me, thankfully not sweaty. It would be a surprise if she was.

Arabella was nice. She said she liked sports, and that she used to be a five. She was quite interesting.

Lady Abby came next.

She looked like she was going to steal something. She was looking around at the paintings, and her dress had pockets. She also seemed distracted. I better eliminate her, just to be safe.

I liked Lady Mackenzie. With her, things went smoothly. She was honest.

Lady Merideth was sweet. She just radiated positive energy. I automatically wanted to be around her. She was also pretty.

Lady Amorette, or, "Mo," was pretty easy going. I liked her. I didn't have to worry with her.

"Lady Deliah," I said to her.

Lady Deliah was completely sarcastic. She rolled her eyes a lot.

After her, I realized the meetings were over. Thank god. Now I could have breakfast. But before that . . . I had to eliminate people. I was not looking forward to this.

 **A/N Sorry this is shorter. I will start the dates soon! If anyone has suggestions, please review! See you later! Happy New Year!**


	16. A Queen's Advice

**A/N Hello! I know I said I would start the dates soon, but I want to do this chapter, and then the dates.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-to: Yes he did! DUN DUN DUN! Thank you! They might *evil smile* hehe!**

 **For the person fanfiction will not let me name: I LOVE UNICORNS OMG! Thank you! I like Cassandra, she is an interesting character. I'm glad I wrote her so well! Yeah, someone did submit Danielle. Leo is an angel!**

 **Guest: You're welcome! I will try!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: I am introducing them from their provinces! Thanks! School is starting again . . .**

 **Hellllllooooooo: It's okay!**

 _Leo's POV_

That elimination was not pretty. Let's say some girls *cough cough Tilly cough cough Annie* went a bit crazy. Anyway, I walked over to by seat for breakfast. I started to eat, watching the girls. Many of the twos and threes were eating slower, enjoying the taste, but the lower-caste girls were eating a bit faster. Not many of them, but I noticed Lady Rose wolfing down food.

Who would I ask on a date first? Was the first date a big deal? What will I do? What will I say? What if I mess up?

Should I ask my sisters? I knew Kalliope had a a relationships with guard. They broke up a couple months ago. No, Kalliope would tease me for _years._ Luna? Maybe. She did read a lot of romance books. Oh, I should ask mom!

Why didn't I think of this before? She was in dad's Selection! She would know this stuff. I could ask dad, but that would be awkward.

I'll ask her after breakfast. I should eat. I'm starving!

 _-A Couple Hours Later-_

I knocked on my mom's door.

"Come on in!' she said.

I opened the door, to see her doing paperwork. She turned around to look at me.

"Leo! You don't have to knock!" she said, hugging me.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Well, um . . ."

She smiled mischeviously. Oh, that's where Kalliope gets it from.

"This is about your Selection, isn't it?!"

"W-what! No! Wait, yes! Huh?" I sputtered. My mother laughed.

"It is!"

"Well, yeah . . ."

"What do you need to know?" she asked me.

"Well, about the first date," I said, blushing.

"Do you mean who to ask?"

"Yeah! Also, what should I do? Is it a big deal?" I asked.

"Wow, lot's of questions! Okay, so it is a bit of a big deal. It is the _first_ date. The press will be all over it."

"Were you dad's first date?" I asked, suddenly curious.

She smiled. "No," she said. I was surprised. "But you won!"

"Just because you get the first date doesn't mean you'll win. I was the seventh date. The first date was a girl named Azalea. We are actually friends!" she said.

"Okay," I said, making mental notes. "What should I do for the date?"

"It depends on who you ask. Find out what they like. Something like that."

"Okay, but who should I ask?"

"I can't tell you that. That's your decision. Maybe wait a few more days to figure it out, but I'd recommend to do it before the next Report. The public won't like if there isn't any juicy gossip," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. I smiled.

"Okay. Thanks mom," I said.

"No problem. Love you Leo," she said.

 _-Three Days Later-_

Okay. I had looked through the girl's forms, observed them, and thought about them (more than I'd like to admit).

I knew who I would ask on a date.

 **Okay, I will do the date next chapter! Please review! I hope you liked this chapter, I wanted to include the queen. See you next chapter!**


	17. The First Date

**A/N Okay! The first date! Here it is! I typed this up in about a day, sorry if it is rushed.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: First date! I'm glad you found this story!**

 **Guest: Cliffhanger! Thanks a bunch!**

 **Sugar: He will not make you wait any longer! I am soo impatient sometimes. I think he is 20. You will know more later! And there may be a relationship for her later.**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Thank you!**

 **I hope you like the date!**

 _Leo's POV_

Okay. I have to do this. I stood outside her door. I thought I heard giggles, but I ignored them. Probably a maid or something. I turned around, and did see a pair of eyes peeking around the wall. The maids ran off giggling.

I turned around and knocked on the door. A maid opened the door, then gasped and curtsied.

"Y-your Highness!" she stammered.

"Good morning," I said. "May I see Lady Merideth please?"

The maid open the door wider, showing me Lady Merideth. She was sitting on her bed, wearing a blue bathrobe. She stood up, and curtsied.

"Good morning, Your Highness!" she said with a happy smile.

"Good morning. I was wondering if you wanted to join me for lunch in the gardens?" I asked her.

"O-of course!" she said, beaming.

I told her to meet me in fifteen minutes. I should take a shower. Or look more presentable. I quickly walked to my room and washed my face, changed my shirt, and went to wait out in the gardens.

 _Merideth's POV_

I was going on a date. With the prince of Illea. There was only one thing to do.

"Eeeeeeeeeee!" I squealed, bouncing up and down.

I was lucky my maids were there. They helped me change into a long pink dress that touched the floor, pretty pink flats, and a rose pin in my hair. I walked down to the gardens. I was astonished by it's beauty.

I hadn't been outside since I got to the palace (besides my balcony, which hardly counts as outside!). There were flowers all over, roses, tulips, daisies, and flowers I couldn't name. I saw Prince Leopold waiting for me. When he saw me, he smiled and walked toward me.

"I hope you like picnics," he said.

"I've never had one," I answered. He widened his eyes in surprise.

"How have you never had a picnic before?" he asked me, shocked.

"It's cold in Whites. I work a lot too."

"Well, get ready for the picnic of your life!" he said. I giggled, and then gasped as I saw what he (or maybe someone else) had set out for us.

The blanket was red-and-white checkerboard pattern, and pretty big. There was trays of sandwiches, chicken salad, mac and cheese, watermelon, fruit, and tons more. There were drinks to, a pitcher of lemonade, and a picnic basket, which looked like it had something in it. I couldn't see it though, it was covered with a blanket that had the same pattern as the one we'd be sitting on. Next to us was a crystal-clear pond with water lilies floating on the surface.

"Wow," I said.

"Sit down," he gestured to the blanket, waiting for me to sit. When I sat, he sat down. He was such a gentlemen!

 _Leo's POV_

Wow. Lady Merideth was pretty. She was gorgeous. When she sat, her dress splayed out, reminding me of a flower. She smiled, and I remembered to sit down. I poured her some lemonade, and then poured me some. She started to eat a cucumber sandwich, while I had chicken salad.

"This is so good! I'm going to have to thank whoever makes the food!" she said.

"I know. The food is divine. I could never make anything like this," I said.

"So, what is it like in Whites? I've never been there, but I hear it's cold," I asked.

"It is! I mean, in summer it's quite nice, but in the winter it gets cold! It snows a lot!" she said excitedly, which made me smile.

"I've never seen snow. In Angeles, it's pretty hot most of the time."

"Sometime, you have to go to Whites, or somewhere where it snows! It's beautiful. It looks like the whole world is covered in a white blanket." she said. She must adore the snow.

"How do you like Angeles? I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions," I asked her.

"Of course I don't mind! Angeles is nice. It's so hot though, it's a huge change to what I'm used to. Some of the other girls are used to the cold too. I still like it though."

"I've never been outside of Angeles, so I don't know if other places are nicer. Have you been outside Whites before you were Selected?"

"No. Now it's my turn to ask a question! Ummm, what was it like growing up at the palace?" she asked, starting to eat her mac and cheese.

"It was nice. I was never really lonely, there was always someone, and there were my sisters. The palace was always busy, but most of the time I played with my sisters. Have you met Kalliope and Luna?"

"Yeah, sometimes they come hang out in the Woman's Room. They are both really nice, it must have been great to grow up with them!"

"Do you have any siblings, Lady Merideth?"

Her face lit up. "Yeah! I have a four-year old brother! His name is Ethan! And," she added. "You can call me Mer."

"If I can call you Mer, you should call me Leo. Most people call me that."

"Okay Your Hig-Leo," she said, blushing a bit. She was pretty cute when she blushed, and the thought made me feel like I was blushing.

"So, you are a seamstress?" I asked quickly. God, I was _not_ creative.

"Yeah," she answered. "It's the closest job to my dream job."

"Which is?" I paused, waiting for her to answer.

"I want to be a fashion designer!" she said.

"Wow. That's cool."

"There's another girl who likes designing clothes too. Her name is Rae. We're actually very good friends!"

"I'm glad that you girls are making friends. I was scared it was going to be all competitive."

"Yeah, I'm glad too."

I observed Mer as she ate. She was pretty, with blonde going into brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She was sweet, and I wanted to be around her. I got the feeling she was going to stay for a while. She was especially cute munching on mac and cheese.

I saw movement in the grass, and mentally cursed myself for forgetting.

"Mer, I'm sorry, but I forgot to tell you that there will be some photographs taken. They will most likely go into magazines," I apologized.

"It's fine!" she said happily. She waved at the camera person, which made me laugh. She started laughing too, and after we calmed down we took some normal pictures. The cameraman walked off, and I hoped the pictures turned out good.

"Do you want dessert?" I asked.

"Dessert? Yeah!"

I pulled over the basket, paused for suspense, and pulled of the blanket. I pulled out trays of linzer cookies, chocolate-chip cookies, small blackberry scones, tiny cupcakes, brownies, and cannoli. I wanted to dig in already.

"Wow. That looks so good!" she squealed.

"I know. Let's start eating!"

I started on a cupcake, and Mer started to eat a scone. She looked like she was in heaven.

After we finished eating, we chatted a bit more. I asked her more questions. I learned her aunt was a four, so they didn't have as many problems as other sixes.

The sun was starting to go down, so the date was going to end soon. I like this, it made me feel like I was a regular guy with his girlfriend. I decided to do one last thing before dinner.

"Follow me," I said, standing up and walking inside the palace.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

We walked up the many flights of stairs to the door labeled **The Roof.** I opened it, and we walked outside. I heard Mer gasp.

The roof gave the best view of a sunset I have ever seen. You saw Angeles City lighting up, the giant Hollywood sign glowing. You could see the beautiful gardens and some of the palace lighting up. But best of all, you could see the blend of pink, orange, and reds on the horizon, and the sun melting into the earth.

"This is amazing," I could hear Mer whisper.

"I know. Sometimes I come up here to clear my head. It gives the best view ever."

I noticed Mer was shivering in her dress. Her arms were bare. I took of my coat and put it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said, smiling.

I walked her back to her room. I told her she could keep the coat. She protested, but I won in the end. She kept my coat.

I walked back to my room satisfied. The date had gone well, I was glad I chose Mer.

 **So, that's it! Mer was the first date! Mer belongs to Sugar (that's not their real username, but FF won't let me put it in). I hope you liked the date! I will do more dates later! Byeeeeeeeeee!**


	18. Sweet Dates

**A/N Hi! More dates this chapter!**

 **Sugar: I'm glad you liked it! I'm glad I portrayed her correctly!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Cuteness is right! Courtney's date will come soon!**

 **Unicute17: Thanks for the ideas! I have used some this chapter (though I tweaked one a bit).**

 **Guest: Thank you! I will keep writing!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Yay! They are!**

 **MayMurdock: Thanks for the information! I have fixed what you said!**

 **Also, BIG thanks to Dangerouslyswt for making a picture for this story! THANK YOU!**

 _Kalliope's POV_

I opened the door to Leo's room. He was still sleeping. Good.

Taking careful aim, I threw the magazine. I wasn't trying to hit his face (well, actually . . .).

He sat up quickly, sort of looking around. Then he saw me.

"Kalliope! W-why are you in here!?" he sputtered.

"To show you something. Besides, you should probably put on a shirt," I teased. Leo turned red and put on a white tunic.

"What did you want to tell me?" he was still pink in the face.

I picked up the magazine and handed it to him. He saw it and went red again.

The headline was **The First Date?** On the front there was a picture of Merideth waving at the camera and Leo trying to keep from laughing. There was pictures of the two of them eating, laughing, smiling. There was also a picture of him putting a coat around her shoulders. They looked liked they were on the roof.

"Getting it on with the girls, huh?" I teased. He blushed more, which was something I thought not possible.

"Anyways, if you need dating advice, just ask me!" I said.

I grabbed the magazine and walked out of the room.

 _Leo's POV_

Kalliope was so annoying sometimes. Anyways, I had to do more dates. My dad wanted them to be all over the press to cover up a rebel attack in Dakota that happened yesterday. I decided to do a group date, they were efficient. I would ask to girls after breakfast.

My butler Carter helped me get dressed, and then I went down to breakfast. I sat down and ate breakfast.

While I ate, I looked at Mer. She was glowing with happiness. She was talking to Rae, they were whispering excitedly. I saw Courtney glaring at her. The girls must have heard about the date.

Breakfast finished too quickly. After the girls went to their rooms, I visited one of the girls I was going to take on a date. I knocked on the door.

Lady Arianna opened the door.

"What is it, Your Highness?" she asked before I said anything.

"Well, Lady Arianna, I was wondering if you would like to join me for a date? There will be other girls coming," I asked her.

"Sure. Yeah, I'll come," she said, nodding.

"Good. I'll meet you in 15 minutes by the Woman's Room," I told her.

I went around asking other girls. The girls going on the date were Ladies Arianna, Chrystal, Mackenzie, and Rae. They seemed like a nice group.

When they were all together, I led them to a room and I opened the door.

Lady Arianna and Lady Mackenzie smiled, Lady Chrystal gasped, and Rae lit up.

"Welcome to a chocolate tasting!" I said.

The room had been set up with a bunch of tables that had white tablecloths, fancy forks, pretty napkins, and glasses of water.

The chocolate tasting was not just chocolate. There was chocolate cake, different cookies, cupcakes, icing, and chocolate with different fruits. It wasn't traditional, but it was interesting.

"The chef wants to know which kind of chocolate is the best. There are four kinds of chocolate, and later I will ask what chocolate is best," I explained. "Do you understand?"

The girls nodded and went out to the chocolate.

I saw Lady Chrystal go to the Lindt section, with products from the Lindt company of course! She tasted one, and then moved one to the cakes. She seemed to like that brand. Rae went there too, and she seemed to like it as well.

Lady Mackenzie had gone over to the Guylian area. She nodded, and tried a cookie.

I took this time to study the girls. Chrystal seemed sweet when I met her. She had auburn hair and beautiful green eyes. She wasn't tall or short, her height was average. Her smile was pretty. Her skin was fair. She was pretty nice, but that was really all I knew about. I decided I wanted to know her better. I wrote a mental note to talk to her.

Lady Mackenzie had eyes a deep blue color. She had thick hair, it was black. She was thin, but curvy. When I met with her, she was pretty honest, which I liked. I also thought I heard an accent when I talked to her. I wondered if she had lived in places other than Illea.

Rae seemed to be enjoying the chocolate. She had dark brown eyes that showed when she was happy. Her hair was light brown. I remembered she was friends with Mer. Anyways, they were alike. I liked Rae.

Lady Arianna was walking toward me.

"I picked one," she announced.

I blinked. She picked one already?

"Um, okay. Let's go tell the chef."

Lady Arianna apparently liked Toblerone. I should give her some later.

I pulled out a seat for her. She sat in it, and then I did.

"So, I haven't got to talk to you that much. Do you like the palace?" I asked her.

"I do. The food is great here. The palace is huge, everything is so fancy," she said.

"Not to be personal, but I seem to know you from somewhere. Also, I think I know someone with your last name. Would that be possible?" I asked her. I hope that wasn't a weird question.

"Very possible," she answered. "My father worked as a guard here. He lives in Angeles."

"Would you mind telling me his name? Also, I thought you were from Atlin."

"His name is Eric Foster," she said. "And I do live in Atlin. My parents are divorced."

"Oh," I said, tongue-tied. It was a bit awkward for a moment.

"Are your maids satisfactory for you?" I asked another question. She looked disgusted for a moment, and I was afraid I had offended her.

"They are," she said. "And you shouldn't ask questions like that. I was a maid once and it isn't the best job in the world, far from it," she glared at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't understand questions like that could be offensive," I apologized.

"I accept your apology," she said graciously.

I saw the three other girls walking toward us.

"I'm sorry, Lady Arianna, but I must go. The other girls seemed to have chosen," I said.

"It's okay. And, call me Arianna. 'Lady' is too weird," she said.

"Will do, Arianna," I winked, and she playfully rolled her eyes.

"So, which chocolate did you like best?" I asked the three other girls.

Rae raised her hand, which made me chuckle.

"You don't have to raise your hand," I said to her.

"Oh," she blushed a bit, then continued. "I liked the Guylian brand. It was tasty!"

"I liked the Lindt brand. The Irish cream one was very similar to the cream in Ireland," Lady Mackenzie declared. I did a double take. She was from Ireland? Well, that explained the accent.

"I liked Patchi. The cheesecake variety was especially good!" Lady Chrystal said.

The girls started to debate about which chocolate was better. Lady Chrystal was especially good at it. I noticed it was getting dangerously close to lunch, so I stood up.

"Ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt, but it is almost lunchtime. We should go," I said.

The girls walked with me to the dining room. The girls were talking about dresses, or something like that.

When we got there, I sat down for breakfast next to Tristan. I noticed he was staring at Lady Chrystal again.

"Why do you keep staring at her?" I asked him.

He looked at me, startled. He must have not seen me.

"I don't know. I just find myself looking at her sometimes," he said, shrugging.

I saw Kalliope looking at us.

"Do you know why he's staring at Lady Chrystal?" I asked her.

She just smiled at us and said, "Boys are sooo clueless."

* * *

Okay, now I would go on another date. I decided I would bring the girl to our movie theatre. It would be easier, the girl would be watching the movie and not me.

I invited Lady Kyli to the date. I walked along the hall, her arm in mine.

"Do you have a idea of what movie you want to watch?" I asked her.

"Um, not really."

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"I like romance movies," she mentioned.

"Okay, we'll see a romance movie then," I said cheerfully.

We walked down to the theatre. I asked someone to make popcorn earlier, so it was still hot. I told the person who ran the movie things to put on a romance movie.

The movie was about two sisters, and one couldn't date until the other one did. There was this whole thing where they were trying to get the other sister to date this guy. It was a okay movie. Lady Kyli seemed to like it though.

I dropped her off at her room. The dates today had gone pretty well.

 **Okay, here are somethings I don't own! All of the chocolate companies, the move (it was 10 Things I Hate About You), and the Selection series! Also, I am probably wrong about the Irish cream thing (I've never had it, I just wanted to mention that). If you have any suggestions, please review to let me know! I really like suggestions! Thanks for reading!**


	19. Lessons and Confusion

**A/N Hi!**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! Don't worry, there will be more teasing! Yeah, his dad is a big jerk. Thanks for not swearing (I still don't see it, but that's probably because I am pretty clueless XD). Courtney is mean, but I love Rae's and Mer's friendship too! I got the idea from Unicute17. I have never had any of those chocolates, so I don't know how they taste. Apparently, Guylian's Belgian. They are stupid sometimes (sorry to any boys reading this, I'm not talking about you). I love the nicknames! By the way (LOOK PEOPLE!) they're (official!) ship name is *drum roll* Trystal!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: I have written that (the interacting thing)! Thank you!**

 **Guest: Thanks for the date idea! I will use it sometime! I like Arianna!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: :). Thank you!**

 _Amber's POV_

This was so boring.

Our teacher (Ms. Gwynne) was teaching us to have good posture and how to walk the right way in high heels. Also, apparently there was a way to sit "the right way."

"Keep your back straight, but don't look uptight," she told us.

She tried to demonstrate.

"You look more uptight than you did before," I pointed out. She glared at me.

"Very good Lady Cassandra!" she praised her.

Cassandra faintly smiled. I hadn't really talked to her, but I had said something to her. I remembered she was polite.

"Excuse me?" one of the girls asked me. I didn't remember her name, but she had violet eyes. Did she wear contacts?

"Do you wear contacts?" I asked her.

"Uhh, no," she said, looking confused. "Do you think this is right?"

She tried to walk gracefully in her black heels.

"I don't think so," I stated. She looked hurt, but then smiled. I got the feeling it wasn't real.

Oh," she said. She even sounded hurt. Had I offended her?

"Ladies," Ms. Gwynne called. We all looked at her.

"This is a bit old-fashioned, but it is effective," she said. She pulled out a giant stack of books. Someone else and I groaned.

We got into a line and she put books on our heads. We were to walk around the room and then up the stairs. Mine almost fell of right away.

"This is stupid," I muttered under my breath.

"I know right," a girl next to me said. She seemed to realize what she said, and brought her hand up to her mouth. I heard a faint "oops."

"I'm Elise! You're Amber, right?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I love your dress!" she said.

"Thank you. Your's is nice," I said.

Elise was tall. Like, really tall. I noticed she wasn't wearing heels. She didn't need them. She also had a lot of freckles. My book fell, and Elise bent down to pick it up, and then her book fell.

"Here!" she said, giggling.

"No talking!" Ms. Gwynne shouted.

Soon it was lunch, so we all went to the dining room. I noticed Prince Leopold wasn't there, and Lady Brynn wasn't there either. Actually, she wasn't at the lesson this morning. Lady Courtney seemed to have noticed too, and she definitely didn't like it.

"Why is Prince Leo going on a date with Brynn?! She's so _annoying_! I'm obviously prettier than her!" she whined.

"Maybe he thinks you're annoying," I remarked.

"Excuse me?! Why would Prince Leo think I'm annoying?! Maybe you, but not me," she sneered, fluffing her hair. "I bet he'll ask me on a date soon."

I rolled my eyes.

I noticed a small blonde girl at the table that wasn't there before. Her hair was short, going to her shoulders. From what I could see of her, she had a small frame. She was talking to Princesses Kalliope and Luna. They seemed to be friends.

I took a bite of my pasta. The food here was good.

When lunch was over, I walked back to my room. My maids were waiting for me.

"Is there anything we could do for you?" Verna asked.

"I'm fine. You can go if you want," I said.

Because we wouldn't be doing anything until dinner, I changed into a knee-length comfy day dress. My laptop was on my bedside table, so I pulled it out. I put on my headphones, and went on to Garageband. I played around with the instruments, the music blaring in my ears. I could feel a smile growing on my face.

I didn't know how long I played around. When I listened to it later, I needed to edit some parts out, but otherwise it was good. I pulled of my headphones to hear knocking at the door.

It was Prince Leopold. I curtseyed and said, "how was your date with Lady Brynn?"

"Wha-what? How did you know?" he asked flabbergasted.

"She wasn't at lunch or our lessons."

"Oh. So, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?"

"Okay. I will," I said. "Right now?"

"Yeah," he said, offering me his hand. I took it.

"How was your date with Brynn?" I asked him.

"It was nice," he said.

We walked outside, and into the gardens. The flowers were like a rainbow, there were so many different colors.

"The gardens are beautiful," I commented.

"They really are. I like to come here in the spring and summer. The flowers bloom."

Suddenly I remembered something.

"Who's that blonde girl?" I asked.

"What?"

"That girl who was talking to your sisters."

"Oh, Lottie?"

"I guess."

"She's Tristan's little sister and the Royal Advisor's daughter," he replied.

"Oh."

He brought me to a hammock that we sat on.

"You do know Lady Courtney wants to go on a date with you, right?" I told him.

"Yeah, I've been getting the impression. I don't know, I feel like she's just _fake_ ," he said.

"She's annoying and mean," I said. He looked a bit shocked, and a bit like he wasn't surprised.

"She was so fakely nice though," he muttered.

"She's only nice because she wants to marry you, and most likely for the crown," I added.

We sat silently for a minute.

"This is getting awkward," I said.

"Y-yeah."

"Should I just go?"

He checked the time.

"It is getting close to dinner, and you may want to change. Yes, the date should probably stop now," he said, looking a little disappointed.

"I have greatly enjoyed your company," he said, helping me off the hammock.

"I as well."

"I hope to see you around, Lay Amber."

"You too," I said. "And call me Amber."

"Then call me Leo. And could you tell the girls to call me Leo as well? I have some paperwork to do, and I can't go to dinner."

"Of course," I agreed.

I changed into a creamy-white dress, and went to dinner. All the girls were there, and most of them were talking to someone else.

"Hey," I interrupted many people. "Leo told me on our date to tell you that he wants all of you to call him Leo."

Lady Courtney looked personally wronged.

"He went on a date with _you_! Before me!?" she screeched.

"Mm-hm," I said.

She looked angrier than ever.

After dinner, I took a bath, then got into bed. Today was good.

* * *

 _Lottie's POV_

"Hi-ya!"

I swept my older brother's legs out from under him, and heard a _thud_ as he crashed to the floor.

"Ugh, how do you keep beating me!" Tristan groaned, rubbing his shoulder.

"Practice," I said with a smile. "Now get up."

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to study and do paperwork," he said apologetically.

"Ugh, that sounds boring," I made a face.

"You are going to keep practicing, right?" he asked.

"No. I'm trying to learn rollerblading on my own."

"Okay. See you later," he went to his room, probably to change.

I went to my room, and mentally reminded myself to _never_ let my dad in here. My room looked like a hurricane hit it. Figuring it couldn't get any worse, I tossed my gi on the floor. I then changed into a simple white dress. Picking up my skates, I went outside. It was a nice day, a bit chilly, but the sky was cloudless.

I strapped on my rollerblades, and started going. It was going well, until I was going over the bridge. There was a girl on there, she was blonde. She turned around and saw me, but seemed to be scared and didn't move.

"Watch out!" I screamed, trying to dodge. For a second, I thought I was going to fall in the creek/river, but I managed to do some swerve, and somehow got of the bridge and tumble into some grass.

"Hey!" the girl yelled. "You should watch where you're going! Are you blind, how did you not see me? You made me fall, my dress is ruined now! You little _brat_! The prince will hear about this! You have no right to be running about like that! What are you, eleven?"

"Excuse. Me?" I stood up, feeling my face flush with anger.

"You were the one that didn't move! I could have fallen of the bridge! Usually the other person moves!" I fumed.

" _I_ don't move to anyone," she said, flipping her hair. "I'm Lady Courtney. A tiny maid like you should bow at my feet!"

"I am not a maid! I am Charlotte Ashbaugh, the daughter of Orson Ashbaugh, the royal advisor! And I _am not eleven!_ I'm 17!" I tried to restrain myself from yelling.

She looked surprised for a second, but it quickly disappeared.

"Whoever you are, can you just leave? I'm going on a date with Leo!" she demanded.

"Lottie, what are you doing here?" I turned around to see Leo.

"Leo!" Courtney squealed, running to him. I rolled my eyes.

"Ugh, see you later Leo," I waved.

I got up and rollerbladed of. God, that Courtney was so annoying!

* * *

 _Chrystal's POV_

I was walking back to my room after breakfast. I heard a noise in one of the rooms, so I turned to look. And bumped into someone.

I stumbled back, lost my balance, and fell on my butt.

"Oh! I am so sorry my lady, I didn't see you!" the other person held out their hand.

I saw a brown haired guy in front of me. He was wearing casual clothes, and my heart seemed to start beating faster.

"O-oh, it's okay. I wasn't looking either!" I said.

I grabbed his hand, and I could feel my face get warmer. What was happening to me?

"May I ask what your name is?" he asked.

"Oh! I'm Chrystal," I said shyly. "Who are you?"

"I am Tristan Ashbaugh. It is great to meet you."

"You too."

He smiled and spoke, "If you excuse me, I have some business to attend to. I hope to see you later."

"Of course! I hope to see you too!"

He walked of. My heart was pounding, and my face was warm. Why?

I started walking to my room, and for some reason I was giddy. When I got there I noticed I had a sort of dumb smile on my face, and I was all pink.

Why?

 **Aaaaaahhhhh! So cute! Sorry I didn't elaborate on Brynn's and Courtney's dates. Hope you are having a FANTASTIC day!**


	20. The Report

**A/N Hi.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Hmm, maybe she should threaten her (I don't like violence, I just think it would be a cool scene). Yeah, she is too nice to do that, but maybe Arianna could do that.**

 **Guest: Thank you! They are adorbs!**

 **Oh sugar: Oh XD. YES I ship them too. I would fail. Yeah, it is Kyli. Amber is cool. Thank you!**

 _Leo's POV_

Okay. This was the first real Report with the girls. There was the one on the day they came, but I wasn't in that one.

We were in the Report room, which was way too hot for January. I was wearing black and white suit. In the Report I sat next to my mom and Kalliope. I watched as the girls filed in.

Griffin came in, wearing a flamboyant red suit. He sent a thumbs up to the television crew. The sign that said when we went live started counting down.

10\. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

Now the sign says, "Live."

"Good evening Illea! Welcome back to the Report! Before we start asking our beloved Prince Leo and his dear Selected questions, the King has some information to give you!" he slid to the side, and let my father have all the attention.

"Hello Illea, I have some grim news. On Tuesday, there was a rebel attack in Dakota. Some houses were destroyed or set on fire, but that's it," he said smoothly, then went to sit back down.

I was silently fuming. He hadn't told them a lot of the information. They had attacked a small village in the middle of the night, almost destroyed the whole village, and then killed ten people! How could he not tell them!

"We are sending our best wishes to the people in Dakota!" Griffin got back on stage. "Now, all of us here, and hopefully you out there, have heard about Leo going on some dates. Now, would the lucky girl who got the first date come on stage?"

Mer blushed a tiny bit, and stood up. She was wearing a long-sleeve white dress that went to her knees, and had black lace at the bottom.

"Lady Merideth! Good evening! You look very nice tonight!" Griffin said.

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

"Now, could you give us the honor that is telling Illea your first date?"

"Um, yeah. Well, we went on a picnic in the gardens, which are gorgeous. The food was really good, and we chatted."

"What did you talk about?"

"Well, he asked me what it is like in Whites, which is very cold in the winter, but it's really nice in the summer!" she added.

"Ooh, what happened next? Tell us more!" Griffin said.

"Well, then we had dessert. We chatted a bit more, and then he showed me the view from the roof."

"I have seen some pictures, and is it true he gave you his coat?"

"Yes, it is," she said, blushing.

"Ooh so romantic!" Griffin said.

"So, what can you tell us about Leo?" he questioned.

"Well, he isn't like he is on TV. He is very kind and caring, and also very friendly. I am honored to have met him," she said honestly.

Mer returned to her seat, and Griffin called up Brynn.

"So, we know that recently you had a date with Leo. So, what did you do?" he asked her.

"We went on a dinner date! He invited me up to a tower where you can go stargazing, and we had dinner there. The food was divine, and the prince is quite sweet."

More of this went on. I sort of spaced out for a while until I remembered a announcement I had to do. Luckily for me, they called my name just then.

I stood up and walked to the microphone.

"People of Illea, I am delighted to tell you that on Valentine's day, we shall be hosting a ball. One family from each province is invited, so check your local post offices!" I announced, then sat back down.

After the Report, Rae came up to me.

"Um, Leo?" she said, sounding nervous.

"What is it Rae?"

"What was the town called that was attacked?"

I remembered Rae was from Dakota.

"Something like Southfall," I answered.

"Oh," she exhaled. "I don't live there."

"I'm glad," I said.

 **Sorry for the short chapter! Okay, so the ball! I will need a pm or review from the people that have submitted characters. Also, if you have a Pinterest, you can send me a picture (my account is ArmaduraStar7, same as FF). I will need info on 1) Dresses. 2) Shoes. 3). Hair stuff. 4) Makeup. 5) Accessories. . As always, thanks for reading!**


	21. Texting With The Schreaves

**A/N Hello! Sorry this took a bit to upload.  
**

 **Oh sugar: It was January when I updated (I think). Okay, now I'm imagining it too. Ooh, Clarkson 2.0 is a good nickname. I'm glad I wrote her correctly. OMG, that would be soo cute, I will use that somewhere in there. I'm looking forward to the ball as well!**

 **Guest: Thanks for telling me!**

 **Also, if you could, check out Oh sugar fanfic! It's really good!**

 _King Octavian's POV_

A ball was one of Leo's better ideas. I needed him to come up with more ideas like this, I knew he could be like me if he put his mind to it. However, it seemed he wanted the country to know what's happening with the accursed rebels. That was his worst idea.

Maggie was getting a dress ready for the ball, so I was free to look over a copy of the Selection forms. Maggie was able to convince me too not choose them, but I was regretting that idea. There was a eight in the Selection! I'm positive she's a rebel.

Brynn Ackerman was a good pick. Her father was the Prime Minister of Carolina, so she came from a powerful family. She was also very famous as a actress.

Vivian Chancler was also a good pick. She came from Angeles, which is the best province in Illea. She was a pretty famous model as well.

Courtney was one of the best picks as well. She was pretty, and I've heard she was cruel to the lower caste people. She was also a two.

I checked the time, and it was almost time to meet with the ministers. We met once every month to discuss problems in Illea, and how to solve them. I put on a nice jacket, fixed my crown, and went to go.

I sat down at the head of the table, early. All of the ministers came in.

"Excuse me for my bluntness My King, but why did you downplay the attack in Dakota? I would feel the people deserve to know," Alvin Willis, the prime minister of Dakota, asked me.

"Mr. Willis, if the people knew what happened during that attack, they may think the rebels are a real threat to Illea. They. Are. Not. I thought you would know this by now," I answered calmly. He went a bit pink and sat down.

"Is there any news I need to know about that is worthwhile?" I said.

"My king, in Fennley yesterday, the rebels turned of the power in the capitol. It was only for thirty minutes, but it gave the people quite a scare. Also, I have heard rumours that the rebels were moving toward Angeles," Edwin Bullock, the minister of Fennley told me.

"Get the news channels to tell the people it was a short power outage, and there's nothing to worry about," I said smoothly.

"But-"

"Be quiet," I commanded.

When the meeting was over, I was walking back to my study when my phone buzzed. My wife had sent me a text.

 **Maggie: My siblings called. They want to come 2 the ball. Is that okay with u?**

 **Octavian: That's okay, but you should ask Leo. He came up with the idea of a ball.**

 **Maggie: Kk**

I smiled. My wife always made me smile.

 _Luna's POV_

I sat in the gardens, watching the animals scurry around me. I like to go here a lot, so the animals know I'm a friend. I watched as a squirrel ran next to my feet.

I brushed the dust off the book in my lap. It's title was _Fairy Tales._ Kalliope and I used to love this book, and we still do. My twin just doesn't read it much.

I opened to the first story, _Cinderella_. I read the familiar words, and was engrossed in the story until my phone buzzed.

I pulled it out of my sweater, and checked my texts. Sure enough, Kalliope had sent me a text.

 **Kalliope: Can u come up to our room? Lottie is coming, we r going to talk about dresses for da ball. U coming? :D**

 **Luna: Kk, coming.**

 **Kalliope: Yay! :D**

I stood up and started walking up to the castle. Consequently, I was near the Ashbaugh's house, so Lottie saw me and met up with me.

"Hey!" she said.

"Good morning. How is your family doing?" I asked her.

"Pretty well. Oh, I remember that book!" she said, pointing at the book in my arms.

"Yeah, I like to read it in the gardens."

"Cool."

"Have you met the Selected yet?" I asked her. She wrinkled her nose.

"One," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, who? If you don't mind telling me," I added hurriedly.

"Some girl named Courtney. She's a nightmare!" she exclaimed.

I remembered a blonde girl who was boasting to the other girls that she got a date, and saying it was better than anyone else's.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

We soon got to my twin and my room, and when we went in I instantly heard some kind of music. For some reason, I couldn't figure out what the words meant.

"What is this?" I asked my sister, who was trying to do a handstand in the middle of our huge room.

"K-pop! Isn't it awesome!" she had to yell above the music, so I had no idea how she heard me.

"It's korean pop," Lottie added.

She sort of fell/rolled out of her half handstand, grabbed her phone, and paused the music.

"Hi guys!" she said.

One of Kalliope's maids came in through the open door.

"The food you wanted Kalliope!" she said, setting the tray on a stool. She left.

"So, what do you want your dresses look like?" Kalliope asked us. We were all sitting on our fluffy carpet in the middle of the room, eating cookies.

"Hmm, something small and plain," Lottie decided.

"Luna?"

"I don't know. Something not that noticeable."

"You two are no fun! You would look amazing in something big and poofy!" Kalliope complained.

"That would draw too much attention," I said.

"Please? It's a ball! This a time to dress up!" Kalliope pleaded.

"... maybe."

"YES!"

Kalliope grabbed a piece of paper and a book, and put the piece of paper on the book so she could draw on it. She got a pencil, and tried to draw something that looked crudely like a shirt.

"What's that? A duck?" Lottie asked. Kalliope hit her with the book.

"It's a dress, you dummy!" she said jokingly. "Luna, can you draw? You got the drawing genes in the family."

"Sure," I said, and grabbed the book and paper, as well as the pencil.

"Hmm," Kalliope said, "I'd like something red, poofy, and there has to be layers!"

I started to draw.

"Lottie?" Kalliope asked.

"No frills, layers whatsoever. It has to be at least partly black, and easy to move in."

"There will be pink and red!" Kalliope decided.

"What? No! I hate pink!" Lottie yelled, throwing a cookie that hit Kalliope in the face.

"You'll look great. Like a sunset."

"A sunset is fine, just not that much pink."

"I'm finished," I announced.

Kalliope stood up, and said, "Let's go to the maid's workshop!"

We put on our shoes, and scurried of to where the maids worked. We passed a lot of Selected along the way.

The workshop had rectangular windows, a bunch of desks with sewing machines, and a rack of dresses that seemed to be ready. The maids who were working immediately stood up and curtseyed when they saw us.

"Do you know if Nahla is here?" Kalliope asked.

"S-s-she's over there," the maid stammered.

Nahla was our (Kalliope's and mine) head maid. We shared six, and Nahla directed the all. She was also our good friend.

"What do you three need?" she asked us.

"Is it okay if you could sew these for the ball?" I asked.

She looked them over. "I can do these. But what about yours?" she asked me.

"I don't really mind anything. Just nothing too noticeable, something simple."

"Okay."

As we left, I saw Kalliope whispering to Nahla.

"What did you tell her?" I asked her.

"Nothing. . ."

 **That is the end of this chapter! I hope you like it! I kinda got obsessed with the idea of the royal family texting, so that's where I got the idea for the chapter name. Remember to tell me what your character's outfit will be for the Valentine's day ball! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day!  
**


	22. The Valentine's Ball

**A/N Hi! Sorry this was late, I couldn't write before Valentine's Day.**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! Yeah, their relationship is cute :). It's okay!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too:** **They are! Yeah, Octavian isn't the best ruler. That's okay. It's okay.**

 **Guest: I will!**

 **Let the chapter commence!**

 _Leo's POV_

I looked around the ballroom. Usually it was a simple as it could get, the walls bare, the tables in the storage closet, and the floor polished 'till it shined. The floor was the same, but the rest was completely different.

The walls were decorated with red and pink hearts, the four chandeliers were draped in them. The staff put the tables out, there were bowls of pink and red punch, heart shaped brownies, and tons more candy and junk food. It was a holiday after all.

I was the first one there, and I saw my sisters and Lottie walking in. I gaped at them. They looked stunning.

Kalliope wore a layered red dress, the sleeves were at her shoulders. Her hair was curled and let down. Her lipstick matched her dress, and her eyes were shadowed with bronze.

Lottie wore a black dress, that ombred into pinks, reds, and oranges. Her lips were shiny, and other then that she wore no makeup. I got the feeling Kalliope had to convince her to put on that slight bit of makeup. Her hair was up in a ponytail that had a braid in it.

Luna's outfit was the one I was surprised by. Her dresses were usually plain and easily outshined by whatever Kalliope was wearing. She wore a pink gown that may have been bigger than her twin's. When she turned around I saw quite a bit of her back showed. She wore pink lipgloss and pink-red eye shadow. Her hair was down, and a crown of roses adorned her head.

"You three look beautiful," I told them.

Luna's cheeks turned into a rosy pink.

"T-this was Kalliope's idea!" she said.

"Oh come on! You agreed to wear it!"

"Only after you distracted her long enough so it would take to long to get another dress on," Lottie noted.

"Shut up Lottie."

Sometimes I wondered if Lottie really wasn't related to my family. I took a sip of punch, which was pretty good.

"Oh yeah, the Selected should get here soon," Kalliope casually put out there.

I spit out my drink, which made Lottie snort.

"Don't be nervous dear brother. The worst you could do is embarrass them on camera!" Kalliope said brightly. Did I mention this was going to be filmed and put on the Report on Friday?

I glared at her.

The doors opened, and the Selected and some others came in. All the girls looked amazing. How do I ask them to dance?

The music started, it was a lively song. I decided to focus on girls that I hadn't really met yet. I walked over to one, who was sipping punch.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked Lady Elodie Marc.

"Of course!" she said, her strikingly green eyes brightening.

We got in the position and started dancing. I noticed Tristan and Chrystal were dancing together. They look good together! I thought.

I focused more on Lady Elodie. She had pretty chestnut-colored hair that was in a crown braid. She wore a dark red gown, and had red lipstick. Her eye makeup was brown and gold, and was winged.

"You dance very well Lady Elodie. Did you tell me you were a dancer?"

"Yeah! I'm a professional ballet dancer!"

"Is it nice?"

"Yeah! I love it, it's great!"

There was a pause as we kept on dancing.

"Are you from another country? You name isn't Illea," I asked.

"I'm from France. I think," she said, scrunching up her nose like she was trying to remember something.

"You think?"

"I don't know where I'm from. When Mr. Mark found me, I was dancing in the streets for money and only spoke French."

"Oh," I said, not knowing what to say. She used to be a eight? She didn't act like it.

We were silent for a minute. What do I say? I hope I don't come off as rude.

"Who is Mr. Mark?"

"He's sort of like my dad. He runs a fine arts boarding school."

The music changed to something faster, it sounded something like polka.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I am very bad at dancing. Forgive me if I step on your feet."

She laughed, which was the melodies sound of wind chimes in the summer. We danced and talked.

When the song ended I asked her, "You speak fluently in French, right?"

"Yeah, you want me to say something to you in French?"

"Sure."

"C'était amusant de danser avec toi!" she said, then went to talk to Mo.

My face felt like it was going up in flames. I had taken some classes of French, I didn't speak it fluently, but I knew what she was saying well enough.

I decided to ask Vivian to dance. I had to be fair, even if it killed me.

She was wearing a red dress that looked like it had a hole in the back. Her makeup was very prominent, it definitely showed off her lips.

We danced to a slow song, her hand on my shoulder and mine on her side. She kept getting close to me, and I would back away. Was I supposed to talk to her? How would I?

"How are you liking the ball?" I asked her.

"It's. . . _wonderful_ ," she said, smiling a smile that wasn't quite right.

"I'm glad you like it."

Vivian danced well, not as well as Lady Elodie, but pretty well.

"I understand you're a model here in Angeles?"

"I am."

I had to remember to borrow a magazine from Kalliope. I needed to get to know these girls better, and Vivian would probably be in that magazine.

I danced with Lady Valorie next. I remembered she was a swimmer, I had to take her on a pool date sometime.

"You look beautiful tonight Lady Valorie."

"Thank you. And call me Val."

"Of course, Val," I said.

"I realized that I haven't talked to you that much. How are you liking the palace?"

"I love it! It's so different then Midston!"

Val was very pretty, with the piece of golden tinsel woven in her hair.

I danced with many other girls as the night went on.

 **REWIND TO BEGINNING OF THE BALL**

 _Chrystal's POV_

I stood near the food and watched Leo ask Elodie to dance. I hadn't talked to her much, but she seemed nice. I saw a guy walking toward me, and my face flushed.

 _Tristan._

"H-hi Tristan."

"Good evening Chrystal," he smiled, and my heart fluttered. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"S-sure," I said.

We got into position, and we started dancing. I was sure my face was redder than the blood fizzing through my veins. We were so close together!

"You are from Clermont, right?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"I've never been there. I hear the beaches are marvoluas."

"They are! The beaches are sandy white and the water is so blue. It's really warm too!"

"That sounds a lot like Angeles, I'm sure you feel very at home here."

"We don't go outside much, so I don't really know. It would be awesome to go to one of the beaches here!"

"Maybe Leo should take you ladies sometimes."

"That would be great!"

We danced some more.

"I'm sorry, I'm not that good at small talk," he said.

"It's fine! I've actually really enjoyed talking to you!" I said. Oh, why did I say that. Why why why.

 _Leo's POV (and back to regular time)_

The ball was winding down. I told some butlers and maids to round up all of the Selected. Oh god, this was not going to go well.

"Good evening ladies. I have a announcement, and it's not a good one," I said, swallowing. The girls looked nervously at each other, they know what's coming.

"Ladies Eva and Sabrina, I'm sorry, but I never really felt anything for you. You may stay another night, or leave now," I said.

Sabrina started crying, and Eva didn't look any different than how she did before. She just kind of walked out. My heart seemed to droop. I didn't want to eliminate these girls, but I just had to. Should I had just kept them? I know it was giving them false hope, but I don't want to hurt them. What was going to happen when I had to announce the Elite?

I walked back to my room, and tried to get some sleep.

 **Sorry if you thought it was a bit short, and I'm sorry that it was late =/. I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!**


	23. Late Nights and Rebel Attacks

**A/N Hello! I tried to get this chapter out fast, and I hope you like it!**

 **Oh sugar: Lottie, Kalliope, and Luna are super fun to write. Yeah, the translation was right. Your welcome! I know, they are adorable AAAAH. I wanted you to not expect that. Thank you :). Ooh, I'm looking forward to it! I hope you like this update!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Yeah, I love forbidden love stuff. I like Romeo and Juliet, but I don't like that they die (spoilers, if you didn't know). Thank you so much!**

 **Anyways, here's the chapter!**

 _Leo's POV_

I couldn't sleep.

I was exhausted from all the dancing. But whenever I closed my eyes I saw Sabrina bursting into tears. Sleep was impossible.

I figured I should just get some work done. Maybe I would be able to go to sleep after that.

 _Daniella's POV_

I stood in darkness. I walked forward. Where was I? Suddenly, I saw a figure in front of. The person turned to face me.

Cassia.

"H-how?" I stammered.

"Dani!" she said happily, running to hug me.

She stopped when a knife emerged from her chest.

"Cassia!" I screamed, sitting up in my bed. Cold sweat ran down my neck. Another nightmare.

I got up and looked in the mirror. The dark bags under my eyes had gotten darker. I didn't want to be here. But I had to.

For Allie.

I knew I would never be able to get back to sleep, so I left my room. I walked to the Women's room and sat on the bench, running my fingers over the white and black keys. I began to play the piano.

 _Leo's POV_

I had been working for five minutes before I heard something.

I couldn't hear it very well. I had to struggle to hear the noise. But from what I could hear, it was beautiful.

I walked out of my room (I put a shirt on) and tried to find out where it was coming from. It sounded like it was from the Women's room. I wasn't allowed in there without an invitation, but it was the middle of the night, no one will know. I walked down the stairs.

Lady Daniella was playing the piano. She was a professional escort, how had she learned to play like this? She kept on playing, I recognized the song. She wasn't singing the lyrics, but I think it was _Back to Black_ by Amy Winehouse. Or it was something else, I just remember Lottie used to love this song.

I sat on the steps to listen to the beautiful music. She finished, and was about to play another song when she noticed me.

"Y-your highness!" she said, getting up to curtsey.

"Just call me Leo," I said. "You play beautifully, how did you learn?"

"There was a piano at the library. I taught myself."

I walked down the rest of the stairs and sat on one of the chairs near her, but not to close.

"What are you doing down here? Not to be nosy, but it is the middle of the night."

"I had a nightmare," she answered.

"Ah."

"Do you want to talk about it? That used to help my sisters. But don't tell Kalliope I said that."

"I-I'd rather not," she said, her voice catching. It must have been a bad one.

It was dark, the lights weren't on. But when she moved, I could see the bags under her eyes. They were dark, and now that I noticed, she looked tired. Was she getting enough sleep?

"You look tired. Maybe you should try to get some sleep," I suggested to her.

"No. I'm fine." she said.

I walked of to get somethings, hoping that Lady Daniella would stay there. I came back, and luckily, she was still there.

"I brought cookies and milk, if you want any," I told her, setting the plate on the coffee table. I took my glass, and sipped it.

She took a cookie, and took a bite out of it. We ate in silence, which at that moment seemed better than talking.

 _Daniella's POV_

What do I do? What should I say? What if he did something? My heart pounded against my chest. I couldn't just leave, that wouldn't be respectful. I looked down, and even in the dark, I could see my hands shaking. I hope that he doesn't notice.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep," I said, curtseying. "Thank you for staying with me."

"It's no problem. If you need anything, just let me know."

I walked calmly up the stairs, and when I was out of his sight, I ran to my room as fast as I could. I didn't try to go back to sleep, I just waited for morning to come.

 _Leo's POV (timeskip to breakfast)_

I had gone back up to my room after Daniella left, and managed to go to sleep. Now I walked in for breakfast with the Selected and my family. We had just started to ear when a guard came running in.

"Rebels! They're here!" I yelled.

Chaos was a good word to describe this situation. All of the Selected were confused where to go and what to do, they didn't know where the safe rooms were yet. I ran over there, pushing through some others.

"Follow us to the safe rooms!" I shouted at them. I ran towards that direction, and many followed.

When we got to the safe room, I did a quick check of the Selected. My blood chilled.

Courtney and Rose were missing.

 _Calm down_ I told myself. _Rose is -well, was- an eight. She might know how to deal with this sort of thing._ I still worried. Courtney was a two, and probably didn't know how to deal with attacks.

Before I could tell a guard who were missing, Courtney walked in, she was crying. Her dress was torn a bit, and she looked scared.

"Oh, Leo!" she cried, and collapsed in my arms. I could see Kalliope and Lottie laughing.

"I was so scared!" she sobbed.

"Um, well, i-it's okay," I tried to comfort her.

I failed.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to talk to a guard," I said, glad to get away from her.

"Hughes?"

"Yes Your Highness?"

"One of the Selected is missing. Lady Rose. If you don't mind, could you tell others so they can look for her?"

"Of course Sir!"

The guard went to tell some others as I sat.

Now we wait.

 _Rose's POV_

As soon as we found out the rebels were here, I ran. I didn't know where to go, what to do. I had to hide.

When I saw a closet, I ran into it.

I pushed all the heavy things on the door so they couldn't open it. My heart was pounding like a drum, and my breathing was heavy.

I grabbed a broom, for defense, and sat down on the ground. Even though I was in a closet, it was still bigger than most. I was a the palace. I was cold. I really should wear long-sleeves.

I heard a loud gunshot outside, and flinched. I started to shiver. The sounds of yelling, guns, and shouts of pain filled my ears. It reminded me of when I was on the streets not so long ago. I closed my eyes and prayed that it would be over.

It felt like days until the door was opened. As they were pushing it open, I stood up, readying my broom. I squinted at the light, and I was about to swing the broom when I hear, "Lady Rose! We're not rebels!"

I blinked and I saw 3 guards standing in front of me. I dropped the broom.

"Are you okay?" one asked me.

"I-I'm okay," I stammered.

"Let's bring her to the prince," another one said.

When we got to the area the prince and the Selected were, I saw Leo.

"Lady Rose! You're okay!" he said, hugging me.

"Yeah, I'm fine.

"Where were you?!"

"I hid in a broom closet."

He was speechless for a moment. Then he said, "a broom closet?"

"Yeah."

He smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. You can go back to your room if you want. Some of us are going to the dining hall, we hardly got to eat breakfast. Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure," I answered.

He hand grabbed mine, and he looked at me to see if that was okay. I nodded.

"Oh, and Leo?"

He looked at me. "Yes?"

I smiled. "Call me Rose."

 **I hope you like the chapter! Daniella and Rose are cool, what do you think of them? Please review, and thanks for reading!**


	24. Planning

**A/N :)**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Yeah, she is cool isn't she? I don't think she has mad kung fu skills (though that would be awesome). Yeah, I hope so too. Definitely not Courtney. She wasn't actually attacked or anything, she just wanted attention.**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! Dani is really cool, her backstory is sad though. Now I want to eat a cinnamon roll . . . I'm hungry. Rose is awesome. Yeah, you are right about that!**

 **Guest: You're welcome! I'm glad you are. I hate homework. The rebels are bad. I will!**

 _Leo's POV_

Even though it was past noon when all the rebels were cleared out, we had breakfast foods. My father had to deal with paperwork, and my mother wanted to help, so my sisters, Tristan, Lottie and I ate at the table with the Selected. It was pretty fun, we didn't have to worry about using the right fork for the pancakes or something like that.

Now, my father was calling me to his office. This couldn't be good.

"Good afternoon father," I said.

"Leo. So, as you know, the rebels attacked the palace today."

"Uh, yeah."

"This incident we be all over the papers. We have to do something to stop that."

"Like what? I'm not going to eliminate anybody yet, I just did."

"Of course, eliminations are out of the picture," he said, waving his hand like he was getting rid of smoke. "Maybe some other kind of event."

"Maybe their families could come to visit?"

"No, that should come later."

I was slightly annoyed with my father. Shouldn't I be able to choose what happens in my Selection?

"A sporting event?"

"Yes! A sporting event is original and interesting! Good idea son," he said, smiling.

"I'll get started preparing it."

I left the room, I had to figure out what kind of sport the Selected should do. Football was a no, basketball also. It had to be something that everyone could play, and that you didn't have very complicated rules. Maybe Lottie knew. She liked sports.

I checked my sister's room, they weren't there, so I walked to Tristan's house and knocked on the door. Luna opened it.

"Leo? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I have to ask Lottie something."

"I'll go get her," Luna walked of, and in a minute, Lottie arrived at the door.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if there's a sport that is simple, the rules aren't complicated, and people can play it without special training," I explained.

"Well, there's soccer. But there are special kinds of kicks and stuff. Hmmm," she thought aloud. After 30 seconds, she seemed to light up.

"Oh! There's capture the flag!" she said excitedly.

"What?"

"Capture the flag. The rules are pretty simple, and all you really need to know is how to run," she explained.

"It sounds perfect," I said. I faintly remembered playing it with my sisters, Lottie, and Tristan when I was younger. "I'll start preparing now, you three can go back to whatever you were doing."

"Wait, Leo!" she said.

"What?"

"Can Kalliope, Luna, and I play too?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Sure." If the math in my head was correct, that meant we would have 26 girls, which was divisible by two, so we would have two even teams. That's good.

I looked at all the girls, and put them all in the teams.

 **A/N Hi! Sorry the chapter's short, I will announce the teams in the next chapter! So, what do you think about the capture the flag tournament? Thanks for reading!**


	25. Teams

**A/N Hello! After I uploaded the chapter, I realized some of you might not know what capture the flag is, so if you don't, don't worry! I'm going to explain it this chapter.**

 **Guest: Me too. Yay, I'm excited to write it (even though I'm not writing that for this chapter).**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Maybe. The struggle will be real. It will!**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! Yeah, I will! Ooh, that would be so adorable!**

 **I just realized that if you didn't read the reviews, this makes no sense. XD. Okay, I'll start the chapter now.**

 _Leo's POV_

Okay, so now I have to announce the tournament. I hope this goes well, especially because a lot of the girls probably don't play sports.

I walked into the Women's room and cleared my throat. All the girls looked at me. Some checked their hair, and others smoothed their dresses.

"Ladies of the Selection, we are going to be having a capture the flag tournament. In case you don't know what that is, I will explain it now."

"There are going to be two teams, Scarlet and Cerulean. I have put you into the teams. The teams have their own "territories." On each team, there is an area with the flag in it. There will be people guarding it. You can try to invade their territory, but if you get tagged, you're out, and have to go in their jail. The jail is guarded as well. If someone puts their foot in the jail, all the people and the person who saved them get to go back to their territory without threat. The team that gets five points (by getting the flag) wins." I explained.

"The princesses and Lottie will be playing, and Tristan and I will be the refs. Here are the teams."

"The scarlet team will have Ladies Rose, Kalliope, Emily, Saymona, Rubyanne, Elodie, Vivian, Arabella, Luna, Mackenzie, Kyli, Elise, and Amourette. The cerulean team will have Ladies Valorie, Cassandra, Tiffany, Merideth, Arianna, Livia, Courtney, Brynn, Chrystal, Raelynn, Daniella, Amber, and Lottie. Those are the teams. I would suggest you practice. Thank you."

 **What do you think of the teams? I hope you like them! The next chapter will be the tournament, so it may take a bit to put up. Thanks for reading!**


	26. Capture The Flag

**A/N Hello. Today I kind of realized that it would be hard to write capture the flag, so I tried to make it long but short. Does that make sense? Probably not, half of the things I say don't make sense at all. Also, the flag is in a bottle. You will need to know that. . .**

 **Oh sugar: You're welcome!**

 **Guest: Yeah. . . Courtney's a nightmare.**

 _Leo's POV_

It was tournament day. The girl's maids had sewn them a sort of jersey type shirt, it is the color of the team. Some other staff had outlined the territories for the teams. The girls gathered in their areas. Most of them looked nervous, some looked excited. Courtney looked extremely annoyed that she was on the same team as Brynn.

"Does anyone have any questions on the rules?" I asked everyone. They shook their heads.

"Okay, the game starts now!"

Arabella went straight in for the kill. I remembered she was a soccer player, so this game would be easier for her then others. However, Lottie and Tiffany were able to team up to catch her, so she went over to the jail. I looked at the cerulean team. Val and Amber were guarding the jail, and Courtney, Rae, and Cassandra were guarding the flag.

On the other side, Elodie and Luna were guarding the empty jail, while Rose, Elise, Saymona, and Vivian were guarding the flag.

Mo ran in the other team's area, and I thought she was running to get the flag, but she changed course and ran towards the jail instead. Courtney reached to tag her, but Mo easily avoided it. She freed Arabella, and the two went back to their area. Arabella started talking with a bunch of other girls, they looked like they were planning something.

The cerulean team took the chance to run in. Mer and Brynn ran in, heading for the flag. Mer was tagged by Rose, but Brynn made it in.

"Is she allowed to just stay there?" Vivian asked, obviously annoyed.

"Yeah," Tristan said.

Brynn grabbed the flag, and started to put it in her pocket.

"Brynn, that's against the rules!" I yelled.

She pulled in out of her pocket, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

More of the scarlet team was nearing the flag area, watching Brynn. While they were doing that, Livia ran in too free Mer. They both walked back to their area, safe. Some of the girls in the cerulean area were talking.

Courtney ran into the scarlet territory. She ran as fast as she could (which wasn't that fast at all) towards the flag. Elise and Vivian ran after her, and Brynn ran out of the flag's area as fast as she could. Lottie and Arianna joined Brynn, trying to block the other team's players. Brynn successfully ran across the border, her team cheered.

"One point for the cerulean team!" I said, marking it on the chalkboard behind me. I did the points for the cerulean team, and Tristan did scarlet.

Rose switched with Emily, so Emily was now helping to guard the flag. There was silence, it was like a battle to make the first move.

If it was, scarlet won.

Kalliope and Luna ran in the other territory. A bunch of people chased after them, and Mackenzie slipped in almost unnoticed. The only person who saw her was Courtney. She had been tagged, but when the flag is captured, the game sort of resets. Courtney ran after her, abandoning her post near the flag.

While the others were distracted by my sisters, who moved like they shared one mind, Mackenzie ran in and got the flag, and then ran out as fast as she could. Courtney chased after her, and so did Tiffany. They weren't able to catch her, and she ran safely back into her territory.

"Hey!" she yelled. The teams looked at her, she was waving the flag she stole and jumping up and down. The cerulean team groaned. Tristan marked a point on the chalkboard.

Scarlet scored a point again, after Kyli and Ruby stole the flag. They had passed the flag to each other, which proved to be a good tactic. Courtney had complained that that should be against the rules, but we decided it wasn't. It would be interesting to see if the cerulean team used it. They hadn't yet, but I was pretty sure they would. It was a interesting move.

Scarlet tried to score again, Rose ran in, but was tagged by Lottie. Then Mer tried to get the flag, but was caught by Saymona.

The cerulean team did score after Mer tried. They didn't pass the flag to each other, Cassandra had actually got the flag. She had done it by just kind of avoiding people, ducking, and weaving in and out. It was impressive. Now the score was even, two on two.

Scarlet scored after that, just because Arabella was so incredibly fast. She just _ran._ It was crazy. The scarlet team cheered loudly.

Then cerulean scored, it was Daniella who got the flag. She was pretty fast, maybe it was because she was a seven? I don't want to be casteist, but that was the explanation that made sense.

Now it was next point wins, and everyone was on edge. The ladies ran in to get the flag, got tagged, went to jail, got freed, and then it happened all over again.

Arabella ran in, and half the cerulean team ran after her. They knew that she was fast. While they were doing that, Mo ran in as well, going after the flag. A bunch of girls ran after her, but she was fast as well. She reached the flag. Meanwhile, Arabella got tagged, and at that exact moment, Mo ran with the flag, and almost the whole cerulean team ran after her.

"El!" Mo screamed, and threw the flag. First I was confused, then I looked over and saw Elodie waiting.

"Right!" she said.

The flag sailed over everyone's heads. It seemed to go in slow motion. It was far too high, Elodie would never reach it.

Then I remembered Elodie did ballet, and then I was sure she would catch it.

She leaped very high, _really_ high. She did a little twirl in the air, caught the flag, and ran over the border.

"The scarlet team wins!" I announced.

The response was deafening. I didn't know they would care that much about sports.

Afterwards, everyone went back to their rooms, probably to take a shower. Even though it was early March, it had gotten pretty hot in Angeles. Sometimes I wondered if winter/early spring was even a season here.

 **Okay! I hope you liked the chapter! Please please review! Also, IF YOU SUBMITTED A CHARACTER, OR JUST WANT TO, please go on my profile and vote on the Elite! Thanks for reading!**


	27. News

**A/N 100 REVIEWS AHHHHHHHHHH! THANK YOU ALL REVIEWERS! YAAAY! Credit to Oh sugar, they were the 100th review! Thank you!**

 **Hi minna-san! Okay, so I realized that not enough time was passing, so between last chapter and this one there is a short time skip of about two and a half weeks. No one gets eliminated, just dates and Reports, that kind of thing.**

 _Leo's POV_

My father was a _terrible_ king.

I never really noticed it before. I mean, I knew he wasn't the best with the people, and didn't really like lower caste people, but I ignored it. And then the Selection happened, so I was busy with the ladies.

But now France had just declared war on us, and we were screwed.

The reason why is that the French had accidentally destroyed one of our military bases. After that, my father insulted the French leader, Queen Lilou. I had met her, she had came to the giant birthday bash that my mom threw for me before the Selection. She was nice, but I remembered she was quick to anger.

Illea is still a new country, and our military isn't that good. There were about 1,000 men in it, and 1,000 women. France had about 10,000 men and women each, according to the paper I was currently reading. I groaned. If we didn't have enough trouble with the rebels.

I smacked my had on the desk. I felt something buzz, what is it? Oh, that's my phone.

 **Father: I need you to come to my office. Your sisters are coming as well.**

 **Leo: I'll be there as soon as I can.**

I put down my pencil, put on a vest, and walked to my father's office. I was slightly nervous, what was he going to say?

My sisters had got there first, in matching red dresses. We sat down in front of his desk. Unlike my mom's office (technically she didn't have to have one, but she insisted) my dad's office had straight uncomfortable wooden chairs. My mom had _really_ comfy sofas that you kind of got trapped in.

"Now," he said. "I trust you know that France has declared war on us." We nodded.

"The people will find out about this one way or another, so we have to downplay it, to make sure they don't panic. Lie about their numbers, anything like that. We will have to keep them distracted, particularly by Leopold's Selection. I would suggest to cut down to the Elite."

I froze. "What?"

"I know most of the ladies are still here, but that will make it more dramatic."

"We can't just-"

"Yes we can," he interrupted. "The Selection is getting boring. Ever since the tournament nothing exciting has happened. Cutting to the Elite will be a headline to remember."

"While that happens, I will find a way to end the war with France. I have one main idea in this."

He cleared his throat, and turned to my sisters.

"One of you will have to marry Prince Marius, Heir of France."

 **Ooh, plot twist! God, Octavian is annoying. Please review and vote on who will be in the Elite! I hope the A/Ns aren't longer than the actual chapter. . .**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	28. Kalliope's Rage

**A/N I just realized I forgot to do the review shoutout thing last chapter. . . sorry!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-to: GIANT plot twist. Don't worry, they've met him before (and it was not a good memory. . .) I already have something in mind, but that is a great idea! Thank you!**

 **Guest: You're welcome! Octavian geez. The problem is you can only vote if you have an account . . . yeah. I would suggest you get one (not just to vote though). I'll try not to *evil smile***

 **Oh sugar: Got it! I can't believe it took that long, but Leo just wouldn't listen! That is not in this chapter, but might be in the next one. It's fine, I'm just glad people are reviewing.**

 **If you want to know how Clarkson 2.0 insulted the queen of France, go on youtube and search Adam's Administration rap. Just so you know, there are a lot of curse words, and if you have a younger sibling you might want to wear headphones. After listening to that, you will understand why France declared war. It will be obvious.  
**

 **Anyways, here's the chapter! Hope you enjoy it!**

 _Leo's POV_

Kalliope's jaw hit the floor. I must have widened my eyes to the size of dinner plates, and Luna froze.

"What," Kalliope said, the tone low and dangerous.

"I know it may be strange, but Queen Lilou is reasonable. She doesn't like war. We may be able to end the whole prospect."

"I am not marrying _him_! Luna isn't either! Marius is the lousiest piece of crap I've ever met!" Kalliope said. Her face was red and her fists were tightly clutched, and rapidly shaking. When Kalliope got angry, she was _scary._

She had good reason to be. I remembered what happened a little too vividly. At my birthday party Marius drank a lot of champagne, flirted with 22 maids, one guy, and Lottie (who was about to go berserk on him before Tristan dragged her away). After that he tried to seduce Kalliope, and then passed out on her. Not good memories.

"Kalliope please. I don't know which one of you it's going to be, so calm down. Queen Lilou and Prince Marius are going to be arriving tomorrow to talk. You will get to meet him then. Now please go back to your room, Leo and I need to talk in private."

Kalliope was about to say something, but Luna gave her a look and she shut her mouth. She left the room, slamming the door. Luna left as well.

"Now, the reason why I have kept you here is that I have a few. . . suggestions for the Elite," he finished. Great.

"I would suggest Ladies Courtney, Brynn, Vivian, maybe Elodie, Cassandra, and Amber. They are proper and high caste, and great candidates for queen. Plus, they are pretty popular in the polls in the magazines."

"Some suggestions for eliminations are Rose, Danielle, Liivia, and Arianna. Rose is an eight, and Danielle is a escort! They cannot become queen!"

He dismissed me and I left in a huff. Most of the girls he suggested were high caste, and the ones he had told me to eliminate were lower caste.

My dad is messed up.

 _Kalliope's POV_

I was madder then I have ever been in my life.

That probably isn't true.

Of all the people I hated (trust me, there are lots) Marius is at the top of the list. It doesn't help he does body building, so when he collapsed on me I couldn't get him off. Yeah, he's just great!

And now might have to marry him. Or Luna will have to marry him. And he's coming to the palace tomorrow.

We got to our room. On instinct, I grabbed a vase of flowers next to the door and threw them as hard as I could against the wall. It shattered on impact, making a loud noise. Luna jumped.

"Sorry. . . I'm just frustrated," I said.

I went to lay on the carpet. Luna sat down next to me.

"Is Marius that bad? I remember playing with him as kids sometimes, but you're the one who actually met him at Leo's party."

"Marius is scum."

"He did have a lot of alcohol that night. Maybe he didn't mean to."

"I don't freaking care! He pinned me to the ground! In a very weird position!" I said.

I could still smell his breath. Ew.

"He's coming tomorrow. Maybe he'll be better," she said.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "I am not going to marry him. I won't let you either. None of us are going to have _babies_ with him."

Oh god. I didn't think that we would have to have babies. Double ew.

 **Sorry the chapter is a bit short. I will try to update soon though! I will . . .**

 **Yeah. Please review, and vote if you haven't! Thanks for reading this! Byeeeeeee!**


	29. Kisses and Announcements

**A/N Hello!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: When I read this I started laughing. Yeah Rose is cool. BROOM! Well, yeah. Great nickname! Ooh, a beach trip would be awesome! Yeah.**

 **Oh sugar: Yay! Yeah it was. We haven't got to know him yet. OMG octopus ;). Yeah, his name is hard to spell. Yeah, they are cool. The update is here! Wait, who are you talking about?**

 **Guest: I bet like half of fanfiction is too young. LOL! I will!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: YAY! It's okay. Thank you! YAS! Yeah. . .**

 _Leo's POV_

I decided I would announce the Elite on the Report on friday. It would take everyone by surprise, besides my sisters and my dad. I knew who they were going to be and everything. But since Prince Marius had arrived today, I had to go to an evening party.

I straightened my tie. The party was happening in a couple minutes, and I hoped my outfit was okay. The Selected we're going to the party as well of course.

I walked down the hall, hoping I wasn't late. I decided to take a shortcut through the Selected's hall. As I was walking I saw a girl come out of her room. I recognized her as Lady Brynn, who told me to call her Brynn.

"Good evening," I said.

"Oh!" I said, startled. "Leo! Hi."

She looked gorgeous. She was wearing a light pink floor length dress with light pink makeup. She also seemed taller.

"You look beautiful. Did you grow or something?"

"Thanks! And no, it's my heels," she said.

She lifted her dress to show me hot pink heels that were _extremely_ high.

"Wow . . . how do you walk in those?"

"With a lot of trouble!"

She smiled. I threaded my arm through her's, and she started to blush.

"Walk with me?" I asked. She nodded.

We reached the party. Some people were dancing, and others (including Marius) were having a snack or a drink. There was champagne and punch, and also some light french pastries.

Brynn went somewhere else, so I migrated over to the punch. It wasn't my favorite drink but I liked it. I looked around and saw Lady Cassandra standing by the desserts.

"Would you care to dance?" I asked her.

"Of course."

She danced very well. Her face had a hint of a smile, and her eyes showed no emotion.

"You are quite a good dancer Lady Cassandra."

"Please call me Cassandra."

"I will remember that."

We danced a bit more, before I decided to take a break. I noticed Kalliope glaring at Marius.

"You really hate him huh?"

"'Hate' is a understatement. If he touches me I will _kill_ him."

I danced with a couple more girls before I decided to dance with Brynn. It was quite a fast dance, so I decided to hold her a bit harder because of her heels. It was awkward though, because the back of her dress was open.

"Thanks for helping me."

"It's no problem."

"Were you in 'Never Again'?"

"Yeah, with Courtney. I was Liana and she was Nicolette. Why?"

"My sisters love that movie. I haven't seen it, what do you think of it?"

"Oh, it's good. I think the script is a bit sappy, and some of the stuff is unrealistic, but other than that it was good. I loved acting in that, except that it took place in Baffin. It was so cold!"

After she said that she slightly slipped on the floor, and I had to hold her upright for a second.

"Oh, sorry!"

"It's fine."

We kept dancing.

"Is the war with France still on?"

"Oh, so you know?"

"I got a letter from my father."  
"I see. My father was discussing what was going to happen with Queen Lilou."

"Oh that's good. I don't want to go to war, it would be catastrophic."

The song started to go faster, and Brynn and I had to get closer. I didn't think. I don't know why I did it. I dipped her and quickly kissed her on the lips before the song ended. She was speechless for a second, and then a smile grew across her face.

"Thank you for dancing with me," I said.

"Y-your welcome," she stuttered.

I walked over to the drinks, were Kalliope was waiting for me.

"I saw that! I saw that! You kissed Brynn!" she said. "You liiiiiiiiike her!"

Before I could respond my father hit his glass with a butter knife, making a nice klinking sound. Queen Lilou stood next to him.

"If I could have your attention, we have an announcement to make!"

The music stopped. Everyone turned to look at my dad.

"Illea and France are not enemies anymore, we will be friends after the marriage," Queen Lilou said.

So one of my sisters would be marrying Marius. So which one?

The whole room seemed tense.

"My son Prince Marius Kylian will be marrying Princess Kalliope Schreave."

 **A/N Hehe**


	30. Kind Of A Filler

**A/N Helloooooooooo**

 **xXNewZealandDancerXx: No she didn't, it could have been Luna. Yeah it was. Thank you =)**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: She did! "Winning" is one way to put it. Yes it is the first kiss! I can hear it too!**

 **Oh sugar: . . . I didn't notice that . . . I was thinking about Killian Jones . . . yeah. Hehe. Others got a dance, but writing that would make it too long. Yep. Yeah that's true. I will!**

 **Guest: She won't. Yeah, it's fine. Byeeeeeeeee!**

 **potatospwat: LOL! I sort of included some of it in the chapter.**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Me too! I will!**

 **Okay, here is the chapter! Hope you like it!**

 _Kalliope' s POV_

It felt like a punch in the gut.

I would have to marry my worst enemy. I would have to have babies with him.

With _Marius_.

The cameras were rolling, this was going to be put on the Report, so I couldn't just leave. I smiled, and pretended to be happy. The cameras went to go look at Leo, who was backing away from me slowly. I slipped out. I could rage outside.

Once I got outside I let out a long string of curses.

"! #*%#&#!"

I knew I would have too. If I didn't, Luna would have too, and I couldn't make her marry that horror.

But before tomorrow, where I would have to face the truth, I would have a few drinks.

Of apple cider.

 _The Next Day, Marius's POV_

Ugh, I drank waaaaay too much champagne last night. My head feels like it's going to explode. But alcohol was the only thing that could help me forget _that_. At least for a little bit.

I wandered through the halls of the Illean palace. At home I could find my way around, but I've only been here a few times. I'm totally lost.

I looked around. Haven't I been to this area before? I don't know and don't care, I wouldn't know anyway. Suddenly I saw Kalliope walk out of one of the rooms.

"Hey Ky!" I said.

She visibly flinched.

"H-hi," she muttered.

"You're acting weird," I said, frowning. Kalliope was usually glaring at me. Yeah, I noticed it. It was hard not to.

"I d-drank too much."

It did make sense, that must have been the reason she was blushing. Kalliope didn't blush.

I took a few steps forward, my face dangerously close to her's. I stared into her gold eyes. Wait, gold? I thought Kalliope had green eyes. Oh whatever.

"You smell nice," I said. "Like vanilla and strawberries."

"T-t-t-thanks!" she said, more like yelled. She ran off somewhere.

I wandered around more, and I ran into Kalliope _again_.

"What're you doing here? You were just over there," I asked.

"Why are you asking me that weirdo? I wasn't over there."

Okay, this sounded more like her.

I did the same thing as before, sticking my face in front of her's. She was glaring at me.

"So you looking forward to the wedding? Also, you smell different then before. Like apples and smoke. Very autumn-ish."

She slapped me in the face.

"I'd rather cut of my head then marry you! And don't smell me, perv!"

She stomped of. God, what's going on?

Then I remembered.

Oh crap.

Kalliope had a twin. The moon girl. Luna? That sounded right. So the girl I talked to earlier must have been her.

Then why did Luna pretend to be Kalliope? And why did I think she was so cute?

 **HeheHEHE.**


	31. The Report Pt 2

**A/N This is the chapter you were waiting for . . .**

 **I really didn't know what to put for above.**

 **Guest: Hehehehe! Thank you!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Trip is a good word. That's what I intended :)**

 **I am very impressed by how fast I wrote this. This is the Report chapter! Hope you like it!**

 _Leo's POV_

Okay, the Report was about to start. I took a deep breath, and walked into the room where we shot it. The Selected were all in there, looking beautiful. I honestly didn't know how I was able to pick ten of them to stay.

"You're announcing the Elite right?" Kalliope asked quietly. We couldn't let the ladies hear us.

"Yeah."

"Who'd you pick?" she asked.

"You'll see."

She rolled her eyes and huffed loudly.

"We are starting soon!" one of the cameramen yelled.

"Where's Luna?" I asked Kalliope.

"I don't know. She said she was getting ready."

"It's starting in two minutes."

"Yeah, like I really didn't know that."

Luna was almost late when she ran in.

"Sorry I'm late," she mumbled.

"Where have you been?" Kalliope asked her.

"Avoiding Marius."

"He's bothering you?" Kalliope said, cracking her knuckles.

 _Luna's POV_

I started whispering so leo wouldn't hear us. I love my brother, but this should be something only Kalliope and Lottie should know, and Lottie was in the back with her brother.

"Well. . . earlier today. . ."

"What happened?" Kalliope asked. It sounded like a threat.

"Well. . . he kind of came in the Royal Family's hallway."

"And?'

"He thought I was you. So he kind of flirted with me. And told me I smelled like vanilla and strawberries."

"He _smelled_ you!?" she yelled.

"Shhh!"

"Oh, sorry."

"And then I ran off."

"No wonder."

"What?"

"He came up to me and told me he thought I was somewhere else. And told me I smelled like apples and smoke."

Before I could say anything Marius and Queen Lilou came in to the Report room, even later then I was. I made eye contact with Marius, and he winked at me. I could feel my face heating up, and I looked away.

"Luna. . . are you blushing?" Kalliope asked. I brought my hands up to my cheeks to cover up the red-pink color.

"Do you _like_ him?"

"I don't know!"

"You sooooo like him. You look like a tomato."

"He's marrying you!"

"Oh. . . right."

We were going to talk more but the Report started. Griffin jumped on stage.

"Good evening Illea! Welcome to the Report! Today we have some bad and good news!" he announced.

"Earlier this week France declared war on us, but that has been fixed! France and Illea will be friends after the marriage! Would the happy couple stand up please?"

When Marius stood up my heart leaped. Did I really have a crush on the man my sister was going to marry?

Kalliope stood up and smiled the fakest smile I ever saw.

"Are you two looking forward to the wedding?" Griffin asked.

"I am," Marius said, wrapping his arm around my sister's waist. He must like her. Who didn't like my sister? She was social and pretty, a guy's dream. Way different then her shy helpless twin.

"Me. . . too," Kalliope said, smiling wider. I could see the rage in her eyes.

"Okay, now we have a video of a party last night! I'm sure you'll like it!"

It was a montage of clips from the party. The crowd oohed over the dances, awwed at the fashion, and squealed at the part where Leo kissed Brynn. Kalliope smirked.

When the video ended Leo stood up and cleared his throat. His face was slightly pink.

"Good evening Illea. As you know the Selection has been going on for about a month, and I thought it was time to speed up a bit. So I will cut it to the Elite here and now!"

The audience gasped loudly. The girls looked nervous, their wide eyes darting around quickly.

"The Elite are-"

Before he could say another word the lights went out. The little light that showed if the Report was on flickered out.

"What's going on?" someone asked.

"A blackout?"

Suddenly I could hear gunshots and screams of pain.

"Rebels!"


	32. Things Aren't Looking Good

**A/N Okay, the chapter is finally here! Yay! Sorry, I couldn't type for something like two days! Argggh!  
**

 **xXNewZealandDancerXx: . . . okay.**

 **potatospwat: These are cool!**

 **Guest: Argggh is right. Maybe. . . hehe.**

 **Oh sugar: Hehehehehehehe**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Thank you!**

 **Okay okay, the shout-outs are done, now you can read the chapter! Unless you skipped the author's note. Which you might have.  
**

 _Leo's POV_

This is where everything goes to hell.

I couldn't see a thing. Were the rebels here? Were they still upstairs? No one had a clue. Suddenly I saw a beam of light, and someone yelled, "the door's that way!"

Everyone ran that way, and people were pushing other people out of the way to get out.

"Luna! Kalliope! Where are you!" I yelled.

"Over here!"

Two little dots of light were coming toward me.

"What are those?"

"Glow in the dark earrings. Now, where's the door?" Kalliope said.

"Follow me."

I grabbed them by the hand and ran to where I thought the door was. There was a little light coming through the door, so I was able to find it. We ran into the hallway, where some guards were waiting for us.

"Prince Leo, Princess Kalliope, Princess Luna. I'm glad you're safe. We will bring you to the safe room," one of them explained.

"Are all the Selected safe?" I asked.

"We don't know yet."

"We know where the safe rooms are. Please try and find them first."

"I'm sorry, but we can't. We have orders from your father."

I sighed, exasperated.

"Okay, but could you spare a couple guards to find them? I want them safe."

He nodded.

"Liam, Milo, go with the royals," the guard said. The others nodded.

We followed Liam and Milo up the stairs. When we got there my jaw dropped.

I had seen rebel attacks before, but none as bad as this one. The rebels were really pulling out all the stops.

Rubble was all over the floor. I could see at least ten bodies on the floor, I wasn't sure if they were dead or alive. I could hear screams and pleads of mercy from men and women.

"Come on, we have to go," one of the guards said.

We ran through different hallways. Kalliope and Luna had to hold up their skirts, and had abandoned their heels.

"Wait!" Luna yelled.

"We don't have time-" Milo said, but stopped when he saw what she was talking about.

Three Selected lay on the ground, mostly buried in rubble. I recognized Rae, Mona, and Mackenzie.

"We have to help them!"

I helped Liam and Milo dig out the girls. I picked up Rae, who was unconscious. Liam had picked up Mona, and Milo had Mackenzie in his arms.

"Let's go!"

It was harder to run carrying Rae, but I couldn't just leave her. Plus, i wasn't sure if she could walk or not.

It seemed like we were running for an eternity. My legs felt like they were burning. My breath was short and labored. I had to avoid the rubble on the floor.

"We're almost there!" Milo yelled.

Of course a bomb explodes right then.

It blew a hole in the floor. Luna was dangling above the ground, trying to hold on to the jagged edges of the floor we were standing on.

"LUNA!" Kalliope screamed.

"Help me," she whimpered. We would have, except she was on the other side of the chasm. Her hand slipped.

"Ahhhh. . ." she said, to scared to scream.

Her other hand scraped the ground, trying to find something to hold onto. It found nothing, and she plummeted into the hole. A scream split the air.

Just before Luna hit the ground someone dived underneath her. He took the brunt of her fall.

It was Marius.

I was stunned. Kalliope's jaw was on the ground.

"Go! I got it down here!" he yelled, giving us a thumbs up. He threw Luna over his shoulder and ran off.

Liam had to pull Kalliope away from screaming something at Marius. I was pretty sure it wasn't pleasant.

We finally reached the safe room. Kalliope had sat down in front of the door, waiting for Luna. Tristan and Lottie were sitting together. There were about four doctors there too, and they were currently tending to Mona, Rae and Mackenzie were waiting, both were still unconscious. My parents were together, leaning on each other.

I looked around for the Selected. So far, I saw most of them. I was still worried though, I counted them off.

Not all 24 were here.

I calculated that seven girls were missing. _Seven_! My palms were clammy. This was one of the worst rebel attacks yet. They could be dead!

The ones missing were Chrystal, Arabella, Emily, Destiny, Ruby, Amber, and Mo.

I could try to be optimistic. The staff had their own secret hideaways, maybe they were there.

I heard a loud noise, the door had opened. Lottie stood up, it a position that seemed to be a self-defense thing. The guards had their guns ready.

"LUNA!"

Kalliope practically tackled my sister. They toppled to the ground.

"Sorry it took us this long, we ran into some rebels," Marius said casually.

The guards ushered Kalliope and Luna into the safe room, and then closed the door. The twins went to get some bandages, while I went to talk to Liam and Milo.

"I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it Your Highness?"

"Ladies Arabella, Destiny, Amber, Emily, Amourette, Ruby, and Chrystal are missing. Could you ask other guards to find them?" I asked him.

"Right away Prince Leo."

The guard ran of. I noticed Tristan had gone pale.

"Tristan? You okay?"

"Did you say Chrystal was missing?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'm going to find her," he said, walking towards the door. Suddenly he went sprawling.

Lottie stood with her foot stuck out, looking baffled.

"You are not leaving this room. You will die."

"I have to find Chrystal! She could be dead or injured!"

"You'll be dead if you go out there! Haven't you noticed they have guns! Why do you care about her so much anyway?" Lottie said.

Tristan went red. He sat down, but looked scared and nervous. Why did he like Chrystal so much? Was I missing something?

 _Kalliope's POV_

Luna had gone of the talk with mom and dad, so I had time.

I walked over to Marius, not glaring for once. He smirked at me. Gods he's annoying.

"What are you here for?" he asked. He's so freaking cocky.

"I want to thank you," I said. His eyes widened. Don't act so surprised!

"You helped my sister, so I can tolerate you for now. And she's in pretty good shape. So I owe you one. But don't get it in your thick head that I like you. Because I don't."

He smirked again.

"I'll remember that."

I rolled my eyes and walked away. He. Is. So. ANNOYING!

 _Rewind. . . Rewind. . . Chrystal's POV_

Where was everything?

I stood up and looked around. Not that helpful, considering I couldn't see my own hand. I took a step forward.

Suddenly I heard gunshots and someone yell something about the rebels. Rebels? They were here?

Everyone started running towards somewhere. While doing that, someone hit me in the back of the head with something.

 _Hard._

The stars were bright yellow in the darkness. I swayed in place, my thoughts jumbled. I touched the back of my head, and it felt wet.

"Prince Leo, Princess Kalliope, Princess Luna. I'm glad you're safe. We will bring you to the safe room," I heard someone say. Safe room? That sounded good.

I stepped forward, and promptly fell on the ground. I am going to die here. The rebels will find me and shoot my brains out.

I don't want to die.

I saw a curtain. The light was getting better. A curtain was good. I could hide behind it. I inched forward, and pulled the curtain around me. I then curled into a ball so no one would see me.

I then prayed that I would be safe, that my family would be safe, that Leo was safe, that _Tristan_ was safe.


	33. More Stuff, AND THEN THE ELITE!

**A/N Okay! More rebel stuff in this chapter! Let's get going with the shout outs!**

 **Oh sugar: Trystal is OTP. I SHIP IT!**

 **Guest: I will try. . . you never know!**

 **potatospwat: Hehe. Lol. I like reading them!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Yeah I know. I ship then too. See ya!**

 **Sparklingdust112: Thank you!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Yeah, she still hates him like 98% now. Yep. Thanks!**

 **Okay, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!**

 _Two hours later, Leo's POV_

I was absolutely terrified. But that was nothing compared to the ladies of the Selection.

A lot of them were crying. Rose was rocking back and forth, she wasn't crying. She had probably experienced this, I remembered that in the last rebel attack she had hid in the closet and was going to attack rebels with a broom. That took guts.

Brynn looked very worried, but also wasn't crying. Tiffany was crying, and so was Courtney. Courtney looked a bit fake though. Elise was also crying. Mer was tearing up a bit.

I went over to talk to Val. We had gone on a few dates, and I wanted to get to know her a bit more.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Scared."

"Yeah. I think everybody is."

"Well yeah," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Are the missing girls going to be okay?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I hope they will."

The whole room flinched. Someone had knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a guard yelled.

"General Carson!"

General Carson was one of the most important guards. There were two groups, and he had control over one of them. The guards immediately opened the doors, although I was suspicious. It could be a rebel in disguise.

Luckily it was General Carson, he was smiling grimly.

"We have driven most of the rebels out of the palace. There may be some hiding, but we have verified that it is safe to come out. We are also looking for the missing girls, and I am sure they will be found shortly."

We did leave the safe room, although cautiously. Tristan had gone with the guards to find Chrystal. It was hard to get around, there was still rubble all over the floor, and there could have been bombs.

I escorted the ladies back to their hall.

"Um Leo? Are all of our rooms like this?" Elodie asked.

Wow.

Her room was completely trashed. The bed had been flipped over, the dresses were torn, and the floor was riddled with bullet holes. She ran into the room, her eyes narrowed.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to find my pointe shoes. They're in the closet somewhere. Aha!"

She pulled them out triumphantly from under one of the ruined dresses.

"They're not ruined!"

We looked in the other rooms, and only a few had been spared. Because of that, I decided we would have sort of a campout in the ballroom. Most of the girls came, some were in the hospital wing and some were still missing. The guards had been able to find Ruby, Amber, and Mo, they were hiding with some of the maids.

It actually had ended up being pretty fun. It took away our nerves, and on of the chefs brought a microwave with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.

We all munched on our s'mores happily. I looked around, the Selected were talking to each other (except for a few).

 _God, I'm going to have to announce the Elite soon,_ I thought. It had been nerve wracking to just try to announce them on the Report. I couldn't tell the ladies now, they were too happy, so I decided to do it tomorrow morning at breakfast.

 _Tristan's POV_

Where was Chrystal?

"Have you seen Lady Chrystal?" I asked some passing guards. They shook their heads.

Okay, so I had already checked the west tower, the Selected hallway, the east wing, the Royal's hallway, the north wing, the gardens, and the staff's quarters.

Now I would check the basement. I doubted she would be in any of the safe rooms. So would she be in the Report room?

I doubted that. Wouldn't she escape? I was closest to that room, so I went to check it.

I quickly looked around, and was about to leave before I saw the blood.

It was in small spots on the floor. It was hard to see, but there was one near the curtains, where there was a lump. There was also some red hair spilling out from under the curtain.

Chrystal.

I ran over there and got on my knees. I then pulled the curtain open.

Chrystal was curled in a little ball, she looked pale. Her auburn hair was matted with blood.

"Are you okay?"

"Tristan," she mumbled. "Help. . ."

"Shhh," I said. "Can you walk?"

She shook her head, and then winced.

"Okay, I got you."

I picked her up bridal style, which made a color as red as her hair spring to her cheeks.

"I'm bringing you to the hospital wing."

I ran as fast as I could without dropping Chrystal. The hospital wing was way too far away!

"Tristan. . . thanks," Chrystal said, and then closed her eyes.

"Don't die on me please," I said quietly.

I then had a realization. My eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

Did I have a crush on Chrystal Veronessi?

 _The next morning, Leo's POV_

The sunshine was shining through the windows, waking everybody up.

"Where's breakfast?" Courtney asked snobbily.

"I'm sure it's coming," I assured her. I walked to the kitchen to ask the chef.

As I walked I could see maids scurrying around to fix everything.

"Do you need any help?" I asked one of the maids.

"I would love some-' she said, and then turned around. She gasped.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else! You can't, this is our job!"

When I visited the chef he told me that breakfast was almost ready, and told me to get the ladies to go to the dining room.

Once the girls were eating, I stood up and cleared my throat.

"Excuse me."

All the girls turned their heads.

"Last night during the Report I was about to announce the Elite. Because of the rebels I couldn't do that. But now I will announce the ten girls."

The looks on the girls faces completely changed. Looks of happiness quickly changed to fear and nervousness. I gulped.

"The ladies I have chosen for the Elite are Merideth Kressin, Arianna Foster, Brynn Ackerman, Cassandra Dove, Rose Maynard, Raelynn Derryn, Vivian Chancler, Elodie Marc, Courtney Calastroro, and Chrystal Veronessi."

The room went completely silent. I could see the happy smiles of those who made it in, and the frowns and teary eyes of the girls who didn't.

"I'm sorry to those who haven't made it in, but I don't have special feeling for you. I wish you the best of luck."

 **Okay! So those are the Elite! I'm sorry to those whose characters didn't make it in, I love all the characters! I'm sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed, I wanted to get this out quickly. Also, I have a question for you (yes you). What do you think I look like? I kind of want to know. Okie, the chapter's over now. I'll try to update soon! Byeeeeeeeeeeee!**


	34. The Hospital Wing

**A/N Hi everybody! Sorry the chapter's a bit short, I'll try to get the next one up soon.**

 **Oh sugar: i thought you would be. OTP! He did (hehe you are going to go crazy after you read the chapter). Adrian and Marinette are OTP as well (I have so many OTPs oh my god). Your welcome! And yes, I have brown hair.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Yeah we'll get to see more of her. You will see in the chapters to come! Thank you :).**

 **Guest: Do they have any kids? I do have brown hair! Bye!**

 _Leo's POV_

"Wait, so we just go!?" Elise blurted out.

"You can pack your bags, but yes you will have to go back to your province today," I said. I felt guilty, but for some of them I just didn't have to same feelings for.

Elise and Tiffany shakily curtseyed, and then walked out of the room. Kyli started to cry quietly, and ran out of the room. Amber walked up to me, and I started to get scared. Was she going to slap me?

She smiled genuinely.

"Thanks for the experience," she said, and then curtseyed. I didn't think she had feeling for me.

"Make sure to tell me when you get some music out," I said. She nodded.

Liv smiled and curtseyed. I could tell that she was sad. Destiny also was sad, but it didn't seem to get to har as much as some others.

"If you will excuse me, I have to go check up on important stuff."

I left as quickly as I could. That was hard. Suddenly my blood chilled. Some girls were in the hospital wing, and they didn't know yet. I groaned out loud. I would be like telling them all over again.

I did have to check up on some girls who would be in the hospital wing anyway, so I headed that way.

It was good that the cots had curtains between them, or it would be even more awkward. I went to talk to Mona and Mackenzie first, so I could tell them the news.

Mackenzie had bandages all over har arms and legs, but was awake.

"Leo!" she exclaimed.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well. Not to be rude, but why are you here?"

"I have some bad news," I said, my stomach was twisting and turning. "I announced the Elite this morning, and. . . you're not one of them."

Her smile turned into a frown.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. I like you, but not in that way."

"T-that's okay. I mean, I'm upset, but I guess it was the right decision on your part."

"You're probably going to stay longer because of your injuries, but after that you should probably leave," I said. Oh god that came out badly.

"I don't mean it like that but-"

"Yeah. I get it. If you mind, could you leave. I would like to be alone."

I slowly backed out of the little area and went to tell Mona the news. She didn't like it either, but she didn't get really emotional.

Now I had to talk to Rae. This would be way easier, because she was in the Elite. She wasn't sleeping, she was drawing something. She had a cast around her foot.

"Good morning," I said.

"Waa!" she yelped, startled.

"Oh, it's you. Good morning Leo."

"How are you feeling? Are you well?"

"Oh, I'm doing great! I mean, my ankle does hurt, 'cause I broke it, but not too much. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I came to tell you something."

She must of realized the kind of news I was going to tell her, because she started to frown.

"Are you eliminating me?" she asked innocently.

"No! No, I'm not. I was going to tell you I announced the Elite, and you made the cut," I said.

Her eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank you so much!" she squealed, hugging me. I hugged her back.

"Your welcome. I have to take care of some business, so I have to leave," I said.

"Oh, okay. See you later. And thanks!"

I was going over to leave the hospital wing when I saw Tristan. Why was he here? And was he sleeping?

"Uh, Tristan?" I said, shaking him awake.

"Huh! Wait, where am I? Oh, hi Leo."

"Why are you sleeping in the hospital wing? You don't look injured or anything."

"W-well, um, I. . ." he trailed off. His face was a tomato red. He jerked his head toward a cot.

When I looked that way I saw Chrystal lying on the bed. Her head was bandaged, and she seemed to be sleeping.

"Wait, so you're here because of Chrystal?"

"Well, sorta?"

"Why-"

Suddenly I realized it. It was so obvious! It was why he was so nervous when he found out she was missing. Why he was blushing. Why he had been sleeping next to her (well sort of).

"You like her! You have a crush on her?"

I didn't think it was possible for his face to get redder. It apparently was.

"W-well, I. . . yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"She's in your Selection! It's treason."

"Oh yeah," I said. I had forgotten about that.

"Well you're going to be happy that she's in the Elite."

"She is?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Well that means you like her for a special reason."

"Well, I guess. She's really sweet, and I like that she doesn't let people walk over her. But I don't think I like her like _that_."

I could almost feel the nervousness and tension leave Tristan's body.

"Oh yeah, Lottie's looking for you," I added.

"Oh sh*t," he cussed. "I gotta go. She's gonna kill me."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

 _Chrystal's POV_

Oh my god he likes me.

Tristan.

Likes.

Me.

I had woken up when Leo and Tristan were talking.

"Wait, so you're here because of Chrystal?"

"Well, sorta?"

And then Leo said he had a crush on me. And he said yes!

And I felt the same way.

I had realized it last night, when he carried me here. I had a crush on Tristan. And he liked me back!

But it was still treason.

Why did I get myself into these kind of circumstances?


	35. Friendships and Lovers

**A/N Hello one and all! Sorry if the chapter title doesn't make sense after you read the chapter, I was having a mind blank.**

 **Oh sugar: Thanks! That's good. Yeah, Rae is awesome. Me too! Thanks again!**

 **Guest: Cool! Yas! Yeah, probably not. Whew! Bye!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: That's true. What do you mean? Thanks!**

 **Okay! I hope you like the chapter!**

 _Vivian's POV_

I was glad that I got in the Elite. God knows what my parents would do if I didn't. I would be more famous than ever, but they definitely wanted me to win.

I wanted to win as well. Right?

We didn't have any lessons today because of the attack, so the other Selected were hanging out with each other or just in their rooms alone. The other girls were pretty pathetic to be honest, I wasn't hanging out with them.

My maids were fitting me into my dress and doing my makeup and hair. Since I was in the Elite, I had to impress Leo even more. I had to show him I was the right choice.

I wore a tight fitting black mermaid-style gown without sleeves. It was lacy, but didn't show too much. My hair was curled and I wore lots of mascara.

My heels clinked on the marble floors as I strode confidently across the hall to lunch. The other girls were wearing nice dresses, but didn't look nearly as good as me. Besides Courtney, her dress was revealing more skin than mine. That wasn't really new though.

"Looks like someone decided not to show up," I sneered.

"Rae's in the hospital wing. She got hurt in the attack," Merideth said.

Before I could say anything else Leo walked in, looking a bit disheveled.

"Sorry I'm late," he said.

We ate in silence. I caught Leo staring at me, and I smiled seductively. He dropped his fork.

"So," Rose asked. "Does anyone want to hang out with Mer and me after lunch? Since we have nothing to do."

"I'll come," Brynn said.

"I'm coming too!" Elodie said happily. She got on my nerves.

"Sure," Arianna said. "I'll have to pick something up from my room though."

I looked at Cassandra. What was her deal? She wasn't one of the nice energetic ones, but she wasn't like Courtney or me. She seemed pretty graceful and polite.

After lunch I was walking back to my room. Arianna was near me, our rooms were at the end of the hall. All the other girls had gone in their rooms.

"So Ari," I said. "What's it like being a _maid_?"

She stiffened. I couldn't see her face.

"It doesn't matter to you," she said cooly. "Anyways, what's it like being a snobby _brat_?"

She went into her room, slamming the door. I bristled in anger. How dare she!

 _Rose's POV_

"What should we do?"

I was in Mer's room with Mer, Brynn, and Elodie. Arianna hadn't gotten here yet. Mer and Brynn were on the bed, while Elodie and I were flopped out on the rug.

"Hmm, I don't know. Ooh, want me to show you something?!" Mer asked.

She pulled something out from the drawer in the night table next to the bed. It was a binder, full of papers.

"These are clothes I designed. Since I'm-well, was-a six I couldn't sew them myself, but I like to draw them."

She and Brynn came down on the floor with us. Mer opened her binder and revealed her drawings.

They were fantastic.

The ones near the front must have been the new ones, because there were sketches of gowns and cute knee length dresses.

"Didn't you wear this last week?" Elodie asked.

"Oh yeah," Mer said.

"You design your own dresses? That's awesome!" Brynn said. "I'm totally going to do that, if you don't mind."

"No, it's completely fine! I forgot to mention this before, but I love the clothes from your company! I don't own a lot of them, but they are really cool!"

"Thanks! If you become a world famous fashion designer I'll totally endorse you!"

"Ooh, this one's so cute!" I gushed. It was a knee length dress that sort of ombred from red to orange to pink. The sleeves were spaghetti straps that were the same color as the dress.

"You can have it if you want."

"No, I can't take it!"

"You should if you like it. I can draw more," Mer said. "Any one of you can take some drawings, I have lots."

"Can I have this one?" Elodie asked, pointing to a pastel pink dress that went just below the knees.

"Of course!"

The door opened, and Arianna and Raelynn walked in.

"Rae! Arianna!" Mer exclaimed, jumping up to hug both of them.

"Hi," Rae said.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing?" I asked Rae.

"They said if I rest I don't have to stay there."

Rae sat down on the bed, and Arianna (after telling us to call her Ari) joined her.

"Oh, that dress is so pretty!" Rae said.

We spent an hour giggling and chatting about clothes, celebrities, how mean Courtney and Vivian were, and Leo. We shared about weird it was to try to be friends with others and compete with them.

Someone knocked on the door.

"One second!" Mer yelled, stepping over us and opening the door.

It was Leo.

Her face turned red. "H-hi Leo. What are you doing here?"

He looked thoroughly awkward, partly because we were staring at him from behind Mer.

"I was wondering if I could take you somewhere."

"Oooooooooooh," Ari whispered just so we could hear it. We were rolling around trying to contain our laughter.

"Um, one sec."

Mer ran over to us.

"Do you guys mind?" she asked.

"We don't mind. Go!" Brynn said for all us, pushing Mer over to Leo.

"Yeah I'm coming," she said.

He grabbed her hand and they ran off somewhere.

 _Mer's POV_

I felt kinda bad for leaving Rae, Elodie, Brynn, and Rose behind, but they said it was fine.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said, a smile on his face.

We ran down the stairs to the basement, and he opened a door. My eyes widened.

The room was filled with benches with sewing machines on top of them. A few maids were sitting and sewing. There were cabinets full of fabric, thread, buttons, zippers, and so much more.

"It's so cool," I said, utterly in awe. I did see places like this in Whites, I worked at one, but it was nothing like this.

"You can sew something if you want," he said.

"Okay! I'll teach you," I said, grinning.

"U-um, I'm not sure about that,' he stuttered.

"Come on!"

I decided I would make Leo a jacket. I grabbed some navy blue fabric, so gold, and some white.

"When you're making a jacket, you cut like this," I showed him the position.

For the rest of the afternoon we cut, sewed, ran around to get the supplies, talked, and laughed as Leo tried to hand sew something.

"Just a sec, I'm going to get a button!" I said, taking a step back.

I didn't see the fabric on the floor, so when I stepped back my foot slipped.

"Kyaaaa!" I screamed.

"Mer!"

Leo tried to grab me, but also slipped and we both fell.

Our noses were almost touching, and he was on top of me. My heart was going a mile a minute. He brought his hand to my cheek to brush away a stray hair.

"U-u-um," I stammered, unable to say anything.

He blinked a couple times, then turned bright red. He got up and helped me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

We got back to work in silence. I finished to jacket a couple minutes later, and held it up to the light. It was good.

"Here. It's done," I said.

He took the jacket.

"It's beautiful This is for me?"

"Yeah. To replace the one you gave to me."

"Thank you," he said.

He looked up at the clock, which showed it was 5:43.

"Oh great, it's almost time for dinner. You have to get ready," he said.

He took my hand and walked me back to my room.

"Thanks again for the jacket."

"Thanks for showing me that place. I'm going to go back soon!"

He smiled at me.

"I'll see you at dinner."

 **This is the end of the chapter! Did you like it? Please review, and thanks for reading!**


	36. Dancing in the Moonlight

**A/N Hello again! In case any of you were wondering, I'm on spring break, so that's why I've been updating faster than usual. It's ending soon though. Ugh, I'll have to do work again :/**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you so much! I loved writing that part, it was so fun! Diversity is awesome! THE FEELS!**

 **Guest: Thanks! Yeah she's awesome! I would hate Courtney and Vivian in real life, but their characters are important to a book and I like writing scenes/chapters with them in them.**

 _Kalliope's POV_

Breakfast was way too quiet.

My parents were off doing boring paperwork stuff, so they weren't here. Ever since brother dearest announced the Elite the meals have been silent.

It was time to change that.

We were all eating with the Selected. I had excused myself to go to the bathroom a few minutes ago. Like that was true.

I held a soup ladle filled with oatmeal and was lining up my shot. I smiled, and flicked the ladle as hard as I could.

I meant to hit Leo, I really did (haha, nope). Instead I hit Courtney straight in the face.

She froze. The oatmeal had gotten all over her face and was now dripping down her dress. I could feel her rage from the other room. I could tell that the other girls were trying to contain their laughter.

I walked in calmly, trying to avoid eye contact with the person I just hit. She must have thought Elodie did it, because she was glaring at her.

"You," she hissed.

She grabbed a pancake and threw it at her. Unfortunately, I happened to be right behind Elodie at that exact moment, so when she ducked the breakfast item hit me on the side of the head.

The whole room seemed to suck in a breath.

"Oh it is ON!" I yelled.

"Food fight!"

It really wasn't that ladylike, but I did start it. The room turned into chaos, everyone was throwing food and getting hit with food. The breakfast today was french toast, pancakes, blackberry scones, and bacon, so everyone was getting hit with that.

Arianna was standing on the table, and was pelting Vivian with scones. She got hit on the back of the head with a piece of toast that was thrown by Rose. Arianna smirked, and she and Rose started "battling" each other.

Courtney was just throwing food and screaming to _stop throwing things at me, I'm better than you and you know it!_ Elodie was giggling, and expertly dodging food. Had she done this before?

I spotted Cassandra. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching her (she obviously didn't see me) and threw a pancake that hit Vivian perfectly in the face. She smiled triumphantly. Okay, Cassandra was a character.

The food fight ended when some guards came, thinking there were rebels. Leo said we should stop (party pooper), and we all returned to our rooms to clean up.

That was fun.

 _Elodie's POV_

I smiled as my maids helped me dress after the shower I had. The food fight was awesome! It was a shame it stopped so soon, it was good while it lasted.

I heard someone knock on the door. One of my maids went to get it, and immediately curtseyed.

"Prince Leopold," I heard her say.

The maids ran to get my bathrobe.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning! How's your day been?" I asked.

"Well, pretty messy to be honest," he said. I laughed.

"I actually came here to ask you if you would go on a date with me."

"Oh, of course! Where are we going?"

"You'll see. But a big hint; you will need your pointe shoes."

My eyes turned into saucers. "Are we going to-"

He put his hand over my mouth. "It's a surprise. See you at the gardens in ten?"

"Yeah!"

I squealed. We might be going to do ballet!

"I'm sorry about this, but could I change dresses?" I asked my head maid. "To the pale blue one?"

She nodded. "Right away."

The dress I wore now was quite simple, just a short-sleeved blue dress that went just above the knee. I slipped on some pastel blue flats, and brought a purse with a scrunchie, some bobby pins, and my pointe shoes. Time to go to the gardens.

"Elodie! You look very nice."

"Thanks! You look good as well!"

We got in a classy-looking limousine.

"Where are we going?" I asked Leo.

He smiled. "We're going to the Angeles City ballet company."

"Oh my god are you serious?!"

"Yeah!"

"Thank you so much! I've always wanted to go there!"

The Angeles City ballet company was the largest ballet company in Illea. The one in Labrador was awesome, but this one had produced famous dancers like Rowena Aurielle and Allegra Vardon.

The limo stopped.

"Oh, we're here."

We both got out of the car, and the paparazzi roared with delight. There were people screaming and jumping up and down.

"Just ignore them," Leo said. He started walking toward the building.

"Wait a sec," I said, walking toward a little girl. She looked about seven.

"Hi there! What's your name?"

She fiddled with her pink tutu. "I-I'm Willa. My dad lives in Labrador, and I love your work!"

"Thank you!"

Her mom came up to me.

"Would you be willing to take a picture with my daughter? She's a big fan of you."

"I would be delighted!"

She brought out her phone and took a photo of me putting an arm around her.

"Elodie! We have to go now!" Leo yelled over the crowd.

"Okay!" I yelled back, then turned to little Willa. "I have to go now! It was great to meet you!"

I ran over to Leo, and we entered the building.

"Why did you go over to speak to her?" he asked me.

"Oh, when I was a eight I would look up to people, but they never talked to me or anyone. So when I started doing ballet I decided to talk to fans because I can spare a couple minutes."

He pondered that for a minute, then smiled at me. "You are a very nice person."

"O-oh, thanks. Not as nice as others I've met."

We got in the elevator, and he pressed the button with a _8_ on it. I pulled my chestnut-brown hair into a bun, clipping some of the extra hairs into place.

When the elevator opened he led me to a room called _Studio Three_. It was a open room with some bars on the walls and big windows that gave a gorgeous view over the city.

"One sec, I gotta put on my pointe shoes and do some warm ups," I said.

I did all five positions, did some warm ups on the bar, and did the splits. Now I was ready to dance.

"This is a piece from The Nutcracker I did two years ago," I told him. He had sat on the floor.

I started on pointe, then did a leap. I did jetes and plies. I pirouetted and did a grand jete. I felt like I was on cloud nine. I did grand adages and a grand allegro.

I danced and danced and danced. I narrowed my eyes in concentration. Time for the ending move.

I lept in the air and did I 540 Battemont en Rond. I caught a glimpse of Leo's eyes, they were wide open.

I landed in a lunge in front of him. His mouth was in a O shape, and he kept blinking.

I stood up. "So, how was it? I usually do lifts in that piece, but my partner wasn't there."

He looked at loss for words, which made me smile. "H-how do you do that? Everything was so elaborate and beautiful, I can tell why that little girl was such a fan of you!"

I blushed. "You flatter me. I'm not _that_ good, you should really see a performance from a master."

He stood up and bumped my shoulder. "You're too modest. Anyways, it's past noon. Wanna get lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starved!"

I was suspecting that we'd go back to the palace, but instead Leo told the driver to go to someplace called Lune Creme.

"Lune Creme is a pretty famous French restaurant. They have rotisserie chicken and stuff like that, but they also have pastries and desserts," he explained.

"Ooh, I love french food!"

The place looked pretty homey, there were already a lot of people eating there already. Leo told the driver to get us some normal clothes so no one could figure out it's us. He gave me a floppy sun hat, a tee-shirt, and some jeans. Leo wore a baseball cap, a tee-shirt, and also wore jeans.

After having lunch we ordered chocolate cake and some macaroons (we couldn't decide between the two). They were _heavenly_.

We drove back to the palace, chatting and laughing. Today had been a lot of fun, and I didn't want the date to end. Oh well, I'd see him tomorrow anyway!

 **So! How'd ya like Elodie! She's cool isn't she! I apologize for probably screwing up ALL of the ballet stuff. I don't own ANY of it (besides the company and the cafe). The reason the chapter is called** _ **Dancing in the Moonlight**_ **is because the cafe that they went to, Lune Creme, means Moon Cream. So yeah. Please review on what you think of the chapter! Goodbye, and thanks a bunch for reading!**


	37. Hot Cocoa

**A/N Hello everybody! *Takes a deep breath* I am SOOO sorry for not updating. There was a family member visiting, so I couldn't write for so long. I will do my best to update quickly!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: MY PRECIOUS. . . I'm sorry. I don't even know Lord Of The Rings. Weird. Thanks! I'm always sleepy.**

 **Guest: She would (so would a lot of the girls). Your welcome!**

 **Oh sugar: I love her to! She is (I don't speak French, I used google translate). And yes, he's adorbs. That sounds like the time I go to sleep.**

 **Dangerouslyswt: TRYSTAL! Your welcome :). It's too cute. You will see! They sooo are. I really wanted to write a food fight.**

 **Guest: Hehe.**

 **Let's finally get the chapter started!**

 _Leo's POV_

Okay. I was going on rapid-fire dates, I wanted to get to know the Elite better. Next was Cassandra. She was mysterious, and I wanted to get to know her better. I had gone on a date with her once before, and we didn't talk that much.

I gulped as I knocked on her door. Her maid answered it, and fell into a curtsey.

"Who is it Wendy?" I heard her say.

"It's the prince," Wendy squeaked. I heard a gasp, and the Cassandra was at the door. She looked very pretty, in a light green dress.

"Good afternoon," I greeted her.

"Good afternoon Your Highness."

"Please, call me Leo," I said. I got a peek into her room, and i saw a book on the bed. Hmmmm.

"Would you like to go to the royal library with me?"

She smiled graciously. "I would love to."

We walked down the hall together. Would she let me hold her hand? I decided not to try, it could end badly.

We were pretty much silent through the walk there. Awkward. . .

We finally reached the mahogany doors. The plaque above it said _The Schreave Royal Library._ I opened one of the doors.

"Welcome Lady Cassandra, to the Royal Library."

She gasped. The library was magnificent, books of all kinds lining the walls and comfy sofas and beanbags in one corner. She was clearly happy, I could see the wonder in her eyes.

"It's lovely isn't it?"

"It's amazing," she breathed. She then blinked, and seemed to put herself together again.

"Is there anything you especially want to get?" I asked her.

"Do you have anything about mythology?"

"Umm, lets see!"

I didn't go to the library that often, I was usually preoccupied with something else. I knew the sort-of librarian though, so I went to ask her.

"Do you have any books about mythology?" I asked.

"Well," Gianna said, "any specific mythology or just any?"

I looked at Cassandra.

"Just any," she said.

"Follow me."

Gigi (she told everyone to call her that) brought us to a dustier section of the library. She pulled out six books and dusted them of.

"Here. These six books have Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Baltic, and Irish myths. They're really heavy, so be careful."

Cassandra took them. She was visibly struggling to carry them (even though she was trying to look like she wasn't having a problem). I walked up to her and took all of them.

"Oof, these are heavy," I said.

"You don't have to carry them, I was fine," she protested.

"You were struggling."

I put the books down on a table. "Anything else you wanna get?'

"Um, do you have White Fang, Call of the Wild, and Angels and Demons?"

I turned around to ask Gigi, but she had disappeared.

"Well Gigi's not here, we'll have to search for them."

We walked down the aisles of the library. Every so often she would find a book, and add it to a growing pile of books in her arms. After a lot of searching we finally found White Fang.

"Oh! I found it!" I exclaimed. I turned around to see Cassandra, but she had so many books that I could only see the top part of her eyes.

I started laughing so hard I dropped the book.

"What's so funny?" she asked, which just made me laugh harder.

"The books. . . your face!" I tried to say but was laughing to hard to finish.

For a couple seconds it was only me laughing. Then she joined in, but it was more giggling.

After the laughing ended (about ten minutes later) we went to look for Call of the Wild. I noticed Cassandra had become a little bit more. . . loose. I know it sounds stupid. I mean she was a bit more open than before.

We were able to find Call of the Wild, but Angels and Demons wasn't there. We searched for about thirty more minutes. Nothing.

"We don't have to find it," she said.

"You sure? We can order it, I heard it was a good book."

She shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Thank you."

I grabbed a bag (yes there was bags there) and shoved the books in. That's when the idea came to me.

I snapped my fingers. "We should go get some hot cocoa. Books and cocoa go together super well. And I know where to go."

I told a maid what we wanted and where we were going to have it. Then I led her to the astronomy tower.

In a few minutes I opened the doors. "This is the astronomy tower. Awesome, right?"

The room was completely surrounded by windows that looked out on the city. There was a bunch of cushions on the ground, and a telescope to look at the stars. It seemed meant for us at that right moment.

"It's lovely," she said politely.

The maid brought up the hot cocoa, and we sat on the cushions drinking it. She was reading Call of the Wild, and I was watching her and trying my best not to be creepy. She noticed me looking.

"You should read one of the books."

I grabbed White Fang and started reading. I wasn't the biggest bookworm, but the book was very good.

I had read three chapters or so when I checked the time. It was three minutes to 1:15. I jumped up, almost spilling the cocoa.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I gotta go!" I yelped, pulling on my sweater. "Forgot about the meeting I had to go to today."

She smiled. "See you later."

 _Luna's POV_

I quickly peeked around the corner. When I saw nobody but staff I started to walk down the hall. I must have saw wrong.

Marius seemed to appear out of thin air. His arm was above my head, and his position pinned me to the wall.

"Hello," he said. "Luna."

I giggled nervously, my face must have been red. "H-hi."

"Why'd you pretend to be your sis?"

Words left my mouth. I could only stutter pathetically. "W-w-well, I-I-I. . ."

And, of course, when I do speak it comes out wrong.

"I-I DON'T KNOW!"

Everyone's heads turned. My face got hotter and hotter. My hands were shaking.

"I-I'm sorry!" I said, running in a random direction. I had to hold my dress up so I didn't trip.

"I like you more than Kyli by the way!"

 **Please ignore the fact that I haven't read the books in this chapter. Marius and Luna are cute, aren't they? What do you think of Cassandra? Please review and tell me! Thanks for reading!**


	38. Plans

**A/N Heeelllooo! New chapter time, but it's really short.**

 **Oh sugar: Thanks. It is, books are awesome. Thank you! They are. Thanks again.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: It was! Thanks :). I ADORE hot cocoa.**

 **Guest: Thanks a bunches! Ooh, I love to travel.**

 _Leo's POV_

Family Day. Most of the other Selections have had it. So should I?

I think two of the Selected had dead parents or didn't know them. Maybe they could invite friends or something. But still, I didn't want to offend anyone.

I decided something else would be better. I flipped through a calender my dad got me for Christmas and facepalmed. Of course.

The After-Easter celebration. An Illean tradition, also called Annelie's Day. It's kind of a memorial celebration for a queen about a hundred years ago that died to protect her baby. We could go somewhere.

I decided to ask Kalliope. She probably knows where ladies want to go. I took out my phone and texted her.

 **Leo: Hey. Where should we go 4 the After-Easter celebration?**

 **Kalliope: The beach. We should go in a big van!**

Okay. I had something to deal with now. Later I'll hire and pay for some drivers to drive us to the nearest beach, about two hours away in the town Riverton. Maybe we could stay the night or something. That would be fun.

 **WE ARE GOING TO THE BEACH! Not in real life though (I wish). If you want your character to have a certain swimsuit, review or PM. If you don't I'll just make it up. Also, if you submitted a character or even if you didn't, please review. I need to know if people are reading the story. Thanks for reading!**


	39. Driving Drama

**A/N Hello for the millionth time!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Okay! Thanks (I didn't know what to write so yeah).**

 **Smiley: It will be! Yeah. I love the new name. Bye!**

 **AdalaideThatFrenchGirl: Thank you for all the nice comments! They made me really happy.**

 **Oh sugar: KK. Okay. Thank you!**

 **Pinkiepielps08: What do you mean by this?**

 _Leo's POV_

It was almost beach time, we still had to drive there. The girls were gathered in their little groups, some maids packing their stuff in the car. I planned out that we would spend the whole day at the beach, and then stay at the famous Riverton Resorts for the night and some of the morning (because who wants to get in the car first thing in the morning?).

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, and stepped up to the front. "We will be going in two groups. Group A will be me, Tristan, Marius, Elodie, Chrystal, Arianna, Vivian, and Rae. Group B will be Kalliope, Luna, Lottie, Rose, Mer, Cassandra, Brynn, and Courtney. Please get in your cars."

I felt like a tour guide.

We piled into the van. Marius sat in front with the driver, because he was taller then me and Tristan. I sat behind him, and Elodie sat on the other side of me (there was a space between the seats so others could get to the back). The chairs behind us (again only two) were taken by Chrystal and Tristan. And then the three chairs in the back were occupied by Vivian, Arianna, and Rae.

Most of the girls were wearing clothes over their swimsuits. Elodie was wearing a pastel pink tee-shirt and shorts over hers, and I saw that Chrystal was wearing a dress earlier.

The car drove out. We were on our way to the beach.

I noticed Tristan and Chrystal talking. I smiled, they were meant for each other. Arianna and Rae were talking, and Vivian would cast the occasional glare, but was mostly looking out the window. Actually, so was Elodie.

"Do you like the sea?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! I don't get to go swimming in Labrador, the water is waaaay to cold. But I've been to Clermont. The beaches there are gorgeous!"

"I've been to Riverton once for the Fourth of July, the beach there is very nice. I've heard of the beaches in Clermont. They say that they're beautiful."

There was an awkward silence.

"Ooh I know! We should play a game!" she blurted out a bit too loudly. Marius, Chrystal, and Tristan started staring at us.

"What game?" Chrystal asked.

"Ummmm. . . how about Don't Get Me Started? It's a game where someone gives another person a topic and the other person has to go on an angry rant about it. It's really fun and hilarious!"

We agreed that that would be a fun game, so I told the girls in the back about it. We decided that Elodie would go first ('cause she suggested the game) and Rae would give her the topic.

"Okay, your topic is Valentine's Day!"

We waited in silence for a few seconds before she started speaking.

"Ugh, don't get me started on Valentine's Day! It is so annoying! The chocolate is really bad for you, and the only ones who get chocolate are the popular kids. It's an excuse to sell chocolate. And the boys get all lovey-dovey. It's gross! So much love in the air, people are kissing left and right. Eww! It is a horrible holiday."

Everyone was laughing. I think I saw Vivian giggle, but I might have been mistaken. Elodie started laughing too.

Next Chrystal told me to rant about having siblings. It went on and on until it went to Vivian's rant. Her's was funny.

"Okay," Marius said. "You will have rant about something any model should know about. Lipstick. Go."

She rolled her eyes, looking annoyed. "Do I have to do this?"

"Yeah. Stop stalling."

"Lipstick is _such_ a pain. Everyone wears it from time to time, but they don't know. They don't know at all. Sometimes people get it all over their lips so they look creepy and like a clown. And then some people get it on their teeth. It's embarrassing to just be around them. And some brands sell _yellow_ lipstick. Yellow. And some people buy it! They have no fashion sense! Whoever invented lipstick must want to destroy society, because that's what it's doing."

There was a silence. And then every one burst out laughing.

"Vivian, you're funny!" Chrystal said, gasping for breath.

She looked stunned. "I just did that because I had to." She went back to staring out the window. I could tell she secretly enjoyed it, it was in her eyes.

Suddenly the car stopped.

"We've arrived!"

 _Rose's POV_

As we drove out of the lot, Courtney had already started talking.

"I don't want to be in this car! Leo isn't here, the only people who aren't dorks are the princesses."

Kalliope and Lottie rolled their eyes. The twin princesses had brought headphones, which was smart, especially because they were sitting in the back with Courtney. Not to be rude, but she could be loud. And mean.

I was sitting directly in front of the actress, next to Lottie. In front of me was Brynn, next to her was Mer, and in the front seat was Cassandra. I noticed that Cassandra was reading a book called _Call Of The Wild._ Mer was drawing something, probably a design for a new dress. Which reminds me, I asked Belle, Luna, and Elizabeth to teach me how to make a dress so I could help them with the design Mer gave me. I would do it when I get back.

I stared out the window. The van was on the freeway now, I could see a nice view of the city. The beach sounded fun, I had never swam before but had heard it was fun.

No offence, but Courtney _would not stop talking_.

"I am going to look amazing in my swimsuit," she bragged. "I don't know about the other girls. Not to name names, but one of them is so tiny and skinny. She wearing a swimsuit should be illegal."

I wasn't sure if she was talking about me or someone else, but Lottie definitely thought it was she was talking about her. It would make sense, Lottie was pretty short and skinny. She turned around to look at Courtney with a murderous expression on her face.

"What did you say?" she asked, almost growled.

I had to give kudos to Courtney, she was brave. When I saw Lottie's face I wanted to curl up in a little ball and hide.

"I said that a certain girl is tiny and skinny. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked.

"Whoa whoa whoa, be nice to each other," Brynn said.

"I'm not talking to you. Stop getting in my business! I don't even know why I try to talk to all of you, I'm obviously better than you two," Courtney said.

"Um maybe you should stop arguing?" I suggested. Nobody heard me.

This went on for the next twenty minutes or so. Courtney and Lotti yelling at each other, and Brynn sort of intervening. Until Kalliope couldn't take it anymore.

"Will you guys shut up! We're trying do stuff over here!"

Everyone went silent. Kalliope turned on their music again.

I was never as happy to get out of the car.

 **Next chapter is THE BEACH! Did you like the chapter? Tell me in the reviews! Thanks for reading!**


	40. The Beach Pt 1

**A/N Okay, the beach starts now! Yay! First let's do the shoutouts (so not exactly now). Thank you to all who reviewed and read the chapter!**

 **xXNewZealandDanceXx: Here it is!**

 **Smiley: You're welcome (for the wonderful world you know . . . I'll stop now XD). Maybe. Ooh, she is!? I might do that, it would be fun.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: I would not want to be in that car. They did! I tried it with some friends and it was super fun! You should try it! Thank you!**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! I'm glad. It's fine :)**

 **Sparklingdust112: Gotcha. You're welcome (for the tides the sun, the sky! Guess who likes Moana).**

 _Leo's POV_

We were finally out of the car. The other car still had to get here, so we started to set up. We had called the resort in advance. There were suites open, since summer hadn't started yet. Some security guards had blocked of a beach area for us.

We set up a bunch of blankets and parasols to sit on. Rae sat down and Arianna joined here. Chrystal took of the light blue dress she was wearing over her swimsuit. Her light green bikini complimented her eyes, and I saw Tristan staring.

I took of my shirt. The weather was really nice today.

"Anyone want to swim?" I yelled.

"Ooh, I will!" Elodie said. Chrystal, Tristan, and Marius joined us.

We had been swimming for about 10 minutes before the other car drove in. The girls got out, looking seriously relieved. I saw Courtney and Lottie arguing.

Ah. I get it now.

Mer ran in the water, wearing a pink one-piece. Brynn, Rose, Kalliope, Luna, and Lottie came in as well. Lottie swam over to me.

"When are you going to eliminate Ms. Better-Than-Everyone?" she asked, looking infuriated.

Before I could answer, she screamed and disappeared in the water. Kalliope came up, smiling mischievously. Lottie's head came up, sputtering.

"You horrible-"

Lottie jumped on Kalliope, who knocked down Luna. Before long everyone was getting pulled underwater. I figured I should get out now.

The girls on the beach seemed to be having a good time. Rae and Arianna seemed to have become friends. Cassandra was reading a book, it was the one we got from the library. Courtney and Vivian were tanning, both wearing bikinis.

I went over to talk with Rae and Arianna.

"How are you liking the beach?" I asked them.

"It's really cool!" Rae said enthusiastically. "I can't go in the water, but it's still super fun. We were wondering if we could get ice cream later, it's pretty hot."

"Of course we will. That's a great idea."

"Thanks. Ari came up with it."

"What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?" I asked.

"Well I haven't had very much ice cream. We didn't have enough money. But we did have some once, I remember I had strawberry. It was good, so I guess that's my favorite."

"I like chocolate," Arianna said.

"I like chocolate and strawberry too. My favorite flavor is Butter Pecan. They don't have it at every ice cream place though."

"Well, I have to go talk with some other people. See you later m'ladies."

Rae giggled a tiny bit, and Arianna smiled. I went to talk to Cassandra, but Courtney saw me. She happily (a little too happily) got up and came over to me.

"Hey there Leo," she purred.

"H-hi."

"Don't I look," she paused. "Amazing?"

"Um, yeah," I said. God this was awkward. It seemed like she was trying a new approach. I didn't like it.

I caught eye contact with Vivian. She smiled and batted her eyelashes slightly. Maybe the beach wasn't the best place to be after all.

"I-I'm going back in the water," I said. "Wanna join us?"

She frowned. "I'm tanning. But I _definitely_ will later."

I didn't like the look in her eye. Something was going to happen later, and I had a feeling I wouldn't like it.

When I got back in the water, I spotted Elodie talking with Marius. What were they talking about? When I got near them I found out they were speaking in rapid french.

"Qu'est-ce que la France? Je pense que je suis de là, puisque je peux parler français, mais je n'ai jamais été là," Elodie said ( **translations are below in the A/N** ).

"Paris est assez cool. Les gens sont très agréables là-bas, et la nourriture et les desserts sont le paradis. À part ça, je ne sais pas. Nous avons une maison de campagne à l'extérieur de Paris et c'est magnifique."

I could figure out they were saying something about desserts and countries. Other then that, I hadn't a clue. Marius had been able to speak fluent English, we never had the need to learn French. Luna knew some, and I also knew a little, but that was it.

Elodie seemed to finish her conversation with Marius, because she was swimming to me. I wasn't dreading it.

"Hi Leo! Do you like my swimsuit?" she asked. She was wearing a pale pink bikini with floral patterns on it in the color of cream.

"I do. You look beautiful."

Her cheeks turned as pink as her swimsuit. "Thanks. I'm glad I took a swimming lesson before the Selection started, or else I wouldn't remember how!"

"That's good. I want everyone to enjoy themselves here."

"I certainly am! Anyways, do you mind if I go talk to Rae? Arianna's coming over here, and I don't want her to be lonely. She's really nice."

"Please do. I would but. . ." I jerked my head in Courtney's direction.

"Oh," Elodie said. "Anyways, I'm getting out of the water. See you later!"

As she left Arianna came in the water.

"Hi Leo."

"Hi Ari. Can I call you Ari?"

She nodded.

"Cool. Do you know how to swim?"

"I know a little bit. I can't swim in really deep water though."

"Okay, we'll stay in the shallows."

Ari looked around for a bit. She spotted Cassandra and smirked.

"Cassandra doesn't look like she's having much fun," she said casually.

She whispered something to me. I smiled and got out of the water. I sat down next to Cassandra.

"How's the book?"

"It's really good! Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"You can keep it. We can easily get another copy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Time for the plan to be put in action.

"Can you put down the boom for a sec?"

She did. "Of course. Why?"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. "What are you-"

I pulled her down the beach. "C'mon!"

I pulled her in the water. It was still in the shallows, but she started flailing around.

"I can't swim!"

Oh. Oops.

I grabbed her hand. "Look. You can stand up."

She stopped thrashing around and stood up. She turned beet red. "Oh."

I led her into deeper water. "See, move your legs like a frog. Then your head stays above water."

She tried it and started sinking.

"See, like this," Ari said. She grabbed Cassandra's arms and moved them around. "Do that with your legs."

Cassandra was bobbing up and down now. She accidentally took in a mouthful of water and spat it all over me. Her hand flew to her mouth like lightning.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" she said.

I could hardly say anything I was laughing so much.

"I-It's okay."

Ari was also laughing, and Cassandra joined in.

"Hey someone set up beach volleyball!"

I turned around. Elodie was pointing at a volleyball net. Someone did set something up.

Arianna got out of the water, and Cassandra and I followed her.

"You can call me Cass if you want," she said.

I smiled. "I will."

 **Translations:**

 **What is Paris like? I think I'm from there, since I can speak French, but I've never been there.**

 **Paris is quite cool. People are very nice there, and the food and desserts are paradise. Other than that, I do not know. We have a country house outside of Paris and it is beautiful.**

 **YES THERE WILL BE A PART TWO. I don't know why I did that in all caps but whatever. Did ya like the chapter! I hope you did! I love the beach so yeah. Thanks for reading!**


	41. The Beach Pt 2

**A/N The beach pt 2! Yay! Let's get the review thing going on and then we can start the chapter!**

 **Oh sugar: Who doesn't love it is a good question! Yeah, I don't have that kind very much, I like chocolate. ADRIAN IS SO AMAZING AAAAAHHHHH! I do too. Yeah, it was.**

 **Smiley: Thank you! I do (but I also ship Leo with a lot of the other ladies. . .). I try to do something (I won't be able to type on that day). The review thing broke. Yeah,it was!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Lol! Thank you!**

 **Cbear88: TRYSTAL! Thank you! Merideth is pretty cool. Luna and Marius are cute together, huh?**

 _Leo's POV_

We decided Rae would be the ref for our game. The teams would be which car we were in, it was kind of unfair because with Rae reffing there would be eight people on their team and seven on ours. No one minded though (Ari said under her breath that, "Courtney is on their team which probably will help us.")

No one knew the rules for beach volleyball, so we decided that it you hit someone in the face the other team gets a free hit. Also, another rule was you can't go on the other side of the net or out of the lines. It sounded fair.

We decided our team names (the team that I was on were The Lion, and the other team were The Royals). We started the game.

The other team got the ball first. Rose spiked (is that what you call it?) the ball toward us. Marius easily hit it back to them. He was pretty tall and muscular, so that was good. No one was able to hit the ball back, so it hit the ground.

"One point for The Lions!" Rae yelled.

Brynn picked the ball up and hit it toward us. It was a pretty good hit. Chrystal was able to hit it, but only because she dove for it. Ari spiked it and Lottie jumped up.

I had forgotten how strong Lottie was.

She hit the ball so hard that when it hit the ground a cloud of sand and dust came up, making us cough. I grabbed it this time and spiked it. It wasn't that strong, Mer was able to easily hit it back. Vivian weakly spiked it.

Luna hit the ball up and Kalliope hit the ball toward us. It almost hit Chrystal in the face, but Tristan practically jumped on her to push her out of the way. She got up, thanking him and blushing.

The score was 2-1 (we were losing). This time Elodie got the ball. I think she would be good at almost any sport just because of her strength. She spiked the ball, jumped very high up, and hit it toward them. Courtney probably could have hit it back, but she shrieked and dove out of the way. One point for us.

"Courtney!" Lottie yelled.

"Ugh, if I hit that back I would have totally broke a nail. My well being is way better than this stupid game," she huffed.

Not to be mean, but Ari was right.

The game went on. I like observing the people to see how they played the game.

Courtney almost always dived out of the way when the ball was within one foot of her. Lottie got so irritated by this that she pushed her out of the way to hit the ball back. Vivian hadn't hit the ball that much, but she would hit it if she had to.

Elodie was pretty good at this game. So was Rose and Ari. Mer, Cassandra, and Brynn weren't the best, but were having a good time.

Kalliope and Luna seemed to be the two to beat. It made sense, they were twins and were always together. I remember when we played hide and seek they would even hide in the same place.

I was so distracted that the ball almost hit me in the face. I was able to catch it in time, and I hit it back.

The game went on and on until we were all too tired to continue. Most of us were collapsed on the sand. Lottie, Elodie, and Rose were the only ones looking like they could play a few more rounds.

"Why don't we get ice cream?" Ari asked. "I'm starved."

Most of us agreed that ice cream sounded like heaven and we went to the ice cream truck. There was Butter Pecan there (yay!), so I got that. Vivian got bubblegum and Ari got chocolate. Rae and Mer got strawberry, Elodie got salted caramel. I saw Rose looking confused.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I've never had this before. I've hardly even heard of it. And so many flavors. . ."

Hmmm.

"Hey, which flavor should Rose get?" I asked everyone.

"Chocolate!" Ari yelled.

"Maybe raspberry?" Brynn suggested.

"How about strawberry?"

Rose looked even more confused now.

"How about vanilla? It's a classic," Chrystal said.

Rose nodded. "Okay, I'll get vanilla."

While she told the guy in the truck I noticed Brynn wasn't ordering anything.

"Don't you want ice cream?" I asked.

"I have Coeliac disease. I can't have gluten."

"Oh," I said. I remembered it said that on her form. I felt a little guilty that I didn't remember.

"Is there any ice cream companies that don't use gluten in their ice cream?"

"Well, there's Ben and Jerry's."

"One sec."

I walked over to the driver. "Could you find the nearest Ben and Jerry's?"

"Of course. May I ask why?"

"We need to get ice cream for Brynn."

"Oh, okay. What flavor?"

I turned around. "Brynn, what flavor do you want?"

"Is lemon sorbet okay?"

"Yeah!"

The driver got in the van and drove of. Brynn started to talk with Chrystal, who was having peanut flavored ice cream.

I sat down licking my ice cream. The beach was gorgeous, the sun had started to go down. Mer sat down next to me.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi. I haven't talked to you much today, are you enjoying the beach?"

"Yeah! It's really cool! I mostly stayed in the shallows because I don't know how to swim, but it was still awesome!"

"Have you been to a beach before?"

"No. I don't live near a beach, and even if I did no one would go swimming. It would be freezing!"

"Oh yeah," I said, my cheeks going slightly pink. It was so easy to forget where the girls came from when they'd been at the palace for the last few months.

"What flavor ice cream did you get?" she asked.

"Butter pecan."

"Ooh, I haven't had that flavor yet!"

"You want a taste?"

There was a pause, and then her face turned bright red.

"N-no thanks! B-but thanks!" she stammered.

Rae sat down next to Mer and they started talking. I noticed the van parking.

That was fast.

The driver came out with one of those box things of ice cream.

"Sorry, the only one there was the pint one."

"That's fine. Thank you!"

"It was nothing Your Highness."

I took the box thing and walked over to Brynn.

"Is this okay?"

She gasped. "Whoa. That's a lot of ice cream."

She took it anyway, marching up to the ice cream truck guy and politely asking for a spoon. She then opened the box and started eating.

Soon everyone was finished with their ice cream.

"We should start heading to the hotel. We need to work out the rooms and stuff."

We started walking to the hotel, filled with ice cream and happiness.

 **Okay! That is the end of the beach part. The next chapter will just be about who's rooming with whom for the night, and other fun stuff. If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism, just review or PM me! Thanks for reading!**


	42. Did I Do The Wrong Thing?

**A/N Hi again everybody! I am so so so so so so so sorry about the super long wait. I got blasted with homework and I was busy on the weekends. Anyways, I'll be able to write more the next few weeks. School's almost out! Yay yay yay!**

 **Smiley: It's fine! It is! And she totally is. Thank you!**

 **Oh sugar: Thank you! He is super sweet.**

 **Also I think FF glitched, because I'm not sure if it showed that I put up the last chapter.**

 _Leo's POV_

We were at the hotel. All of the people on the beach trip were talking in the hall that we were paying to stay in. Not that we were staying in an actual hall, we'd be in rooms.

"Everyone?" I said. 15 heads turned.

"We have to find out who's rooming with who for the night. There are eight rooms for two people each, and since there are sixteen of us it will work out perfectly. Now please pair up."

I paired up with Tristan. Mer and Rae instantly paired up, and Elodie paired with Rose. Kalliope and Luna got together (dur). Brynn went with Ari. Vivian paired up with Courtney, which was good. No one would want to be paired with either of them.

Chrystal paired up with Cass. The only two left were Lottie and Marius, who weren't exactly friends or enemies. That was good.

"If anyone is hungry, we will be having dinner after we get settled."

I went into one of the rooms with Tristan. I was glad he came along. We were friends, and I don't think I would like to room with anyone else. The Selected are nice (well, most of them), but it would be too weird to share a room with one of them.

Wait. I'm going to have to share a room with my wife when I marry her.

It is going to be weird.

 _After Dinner, Elodie's POV_

The beach was so fun! The salted caramel ice cream was so good, and dinner was really good too. Today has been awesome.

I had asked Rose to room with me. I hadn't talked to her much, but when we did talk she was always kind and polite. I had been really good friends with Mo, but she had been eliminated. She gave me her address so we could write each other, but I still decided it would be nice to make friends with another person.

"Wasn't dinner delish?" I asked Rose. She seemed a bit surprised, but then smiled.

"Yeah, it was. Did you have the lobster?"

"No. I had the steak. Was it good?"

"It was just heaven. I never knew lobster would taste that good."

I got what she meant. When you live on the streets, food is sparse and not that good. You couldn't even imagine eating lobster when you're an eight.

"The steak was really good too! I didn't eat that much after the ice cream though. You got vanilla, right?"

"Yeah. It was so good! The sunset was beautiful too."

"It really was."

We changed into our jammies and got prepared for bed. We fell asleep quite quickly, we were tired. Swimming is hard work!

About two hour later we were woken up . . .

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

It was from the room next to us, a high pitched scream. Rose turned to me, worried. I was also worried, but I had to giggle. Her hair was everywhere.

"Should we go see if they're okay?" she asked.

Another scream. We both got out of bed and ran to the other room. We opened the door . . .

I got a pillow in the face.

I backed up and slipped, falling on my butt. I blinked, open-mouthed.

Ari and Brynn were having an epic pillow fight.

Brynn was on the top of the bed, holding a pillow like a shield. Somehow Ari had gotten all the pillows except the one Brynn was holding. Both of them were giggling like mad.

I got a great idea. Rose and I crept out of the doorway and got all the pillows we could carry. We went back to their room. Rose dropped all her pillows except one. She threw it.

It hit Brynn in the back of the head. She stumbled forward, luckily not falling. She turned and threw a pillow in our direction. We were able to dodge it.

That created a massive pillow fight. We woke up all the other Selected (sometimes by a pillow to the face). We were in the rooms and the hall. The princesses and Lottie joined us. The only ones who haven't joined yet were Courtney and Leo.

That changed quickly.

Leo came out of the room _with bed head_. I started giggling and couldn't stop. He looked so cute!

Mer beamed him with a pillow.

Like me, he fell backwards. Then he seemed to wake up a bit more and join the pillow fight.

Marius was pretty good at this. So was Brynn. We kind of silently decided to team up by who was rooming with whom. So I was with Rose. We tried to work in sync, but we were tired and giddy and delirious. We ended up tripping a lot.

About ten minutes later we stopped, to tired. A lot of us were on the floor. Rae and Mer had fallen asleep. Cassandra sat, looking dignified.

"Okay," Leo said. "We should probably get back to sleep now."

We started gathering up the pillows and going back to our rooms. I was about to collapse in bed when I heard a yell of surprise.

"Courtney?! What are you doing?"

I stumbled out of my room. Brynn stood in her doorway, pillows at her feet like she'd dropped them. I glanced into the room. Courtney was in there, her face red.

"Were you looking through my bag?"

I now noticed the bag at Courtney's feet. Some of the stuff was taken out.

Was Courtney destroying Brynn's stuff?

"What's going on?"

Leo gently pushed through the other girls. When he could see what was going on he spoke.

"Courtney! What are you doing?"

The blonde huffed. "Obviously I'm getting my stuff back. The little cheat stole my dress!"

Courtney pointed at Brynn accusingly. Leo turned around. "Brynn?"

"I didn't steal anything. I've never stolen, besides from my sister," she said honestly.

"You stole my dress! See, I found it in your bag!"

Courtney pulled out a spaghetti strap dress. It was extremely short and the color of wine.

"That's yours, but I didn't steal it!"

"I can vouch for that," Ari said. "I couldn't sleep all night. Brynn couldn't either. We were talking and then started the pillow fight. She would never steal your stuff."

Leo got down on his knees. He started ruffling through the bag, but then stopped.

"Is it okay if I look through this?" he asked Brynn. She nodded.

After ruffling around for a minute he pulled out two pieces of fabric. I realized it was supposed to be a shirt.

"Is this yours?" he handed it to Brynn.

"I-I was going to wear this today!"

"And the book we got from the library."

I saw Cassandra flinch.

"Courtney," Leo said. "You were ruining her stuff."

"I-I wasn't! It was her!" Courtney stuttered. Her face was a tomato red and she wouldn't meet Leo's eyes.

"Courtney," Le said seriously. "The punishment for sabotage is elimination."

"But I didn't do anything! It was Brynn!"

"Then why was her stuff ripped?"

Courtney went quiet.

"Leave."

"But-"

"Leave!"

Courtney looked like she was about to say something, but didn't. She glared at Brynn, then grabbed her bag and left.

Everyone was quiet. Rose tugged on my sleeve and we went back to the room. The weight of what happened made everyone quiet. It still took a long time to get back to sleep.

The next morning it was quiet at breakfast.

"Hey," someone whispered. It was Mer. "Why is everyone so quiet? And where'd Courtney go?"

"Last night after the pillow fight she was found going through Brynn's bag. Leo told her to leave."

Mer's mouth was in the shape of an O. She whispered it to Rae, who's eyes widened.

 _Leo's POV_

I didn't really like silence, and that was no exception. Still, what would I say? I just eliminated Courtney. The first person to be eliminated in the Elite. I couldn't just ask people about the weather.

On the topic of the weather, it was pouring rain. I was wondering if we could swim a bit more yesterday, but definitely not.

After breakfast we packed up and got back in the car groups that we were in. It was also silent.

I sighed. Did I do the wrong thing?


	43. Learning More

**A/N Okay! Next chapter! Let's go!**

 **potatospwat: Hoi. She is horrible! Brynn is cool. Bai.**

 **Smiley: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She does!**

 **Cbear88: She is still in the competition. Trystal and the LunaxMarius pairing (still need to make a ship name).**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: It was! Courtney didn't steal Cassandra's book, Leo went to the library with Brynn as well. Sorry I didn't make that clear =/. Thank you. I'm glad!**

 **AdalaideThatFrenchGirl: Thank you so much!**

 **Oh sugar: Courtney is behind it. It is way to hot.**

 _Leo's POV_

We had finally arrived back at the palace. I wanted to collapse in bed and sleep even though I had hardly done anything today. When I walked into my room there was a magazine on my bed.

 **First Girl In The Elite Eliminated? Courtney Calastroro Says, "It Wasn't My Fault."**

"Uggggggg," I groaned. I was guessing the magazine said something about Brynn. Those two despised each other. Well, not Brynn. Brynn was much too nice to despise someone.

Not interested in what the stupid magazines had to say, I threw it in the recycle. Then I got up and headed over to ask my dad if I had any paperwork to do.

The minute that I got in his office he questioned me. "Why did you eliminate Ms. Calastroro?"

I felt like groaning again. "Dad, she was going through Brynn's stuff. It was sabotage."

He paused, like he was trying to decide who was more important, Brynn or Courtney.

"Well, couldn't you just not eliminated anyone? That would preserve order."

"But that wouldn't be fair!"

He sighed and put his hands on my shoulders. "Son, sometimes being fair isn't the most important thing."

I shrugged him off. "Of course it is." I glared at him and left, forgetting about the paperwork.

When I was walking back to my room I saw Brynn. She was just wandering in the hall. When she saw me her eyes brightened. "Leo!"

I smiled at her. "Hi Brynn."

"I was looking for you."

"You were? What for? Is everything alright?"

She looked down. "I wanted to say thank you. For keeping me in. For not eliminating me."

"You did nothing wrong."

"I know. It's just that a lot of other people would believe Courtney. And you didn't. I appreciate that."

"It's nothing. And if you don't mind me asking, why do you and Courtney hate each other? Besides the fact that Courtney doesn't like most people."

She giggled quietly. "Well, you know we worked on the same movie. We argued a lot."

"You and Courtney?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. No offense, but I never really pegged you as someone who argued with people a lot."

"Well, I used to be really mean," she said quietly. She sounded a bit ashamed.

"You?"

"Yeah. I was mean to everyone who wasn't a two. Courtney and I never liked each other. We caused a lot of trouble."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence. I couldn't imagine Brynn as a mean person. She was always so nice to everyone. What had inspired her to change?

I asked her that question.

"Well, I heard of a girl who had committed suicide. It was because she had been bullied by someone like me. I decided that I never wanted to be mean to anyone else again. So I changed."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad you changed."

"Me too."

We went back to her room, and I dropped her off.

 _Chrystal's POV_

We were back from the beach. It was really fun, I even thought Tristan was staring at me for a minute. . . I started to blush. He did say he liked me, but what if his feelings changed? I mean, that was a long time ago. When he said he liked me. What if he was joking around?

I shook my head, trying to forget about Tristan. If he did like me, it was treason. Unless I got eliminated. But then I wouldn't be able to see him. I lived on the other side of Illea.

I was walking back to my room, and because of what I was thinking about (blush) I wasn't paying attention. I slammed into someone, and we both fell over.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and. . ." I got up and helped her up. Suddenly I realized who I bumped into.

"Princess Luna!" I gasped. I immediately curtseyed.

"H-hi. I wasn't paying attention either."

"Sorry again."

"It's fine. Well, h-have a good day."

 _Luna's POV_

I was about to walk away from Chrystal when I thought of something my sister had said.

 _*Flashback*_

" _Chrystal totally likes Tristan," Kalliope said, while doing my nails._

" _Why do you think so?"_

" _She just has that look in her eyes when she sees him. Tristan likes her back too. He keeps staring at her, and when I catch him in the act he gets all embarrassed. It's sooo cute. I ship it."_

 _*Back To Normal*_

I normally wouldn't ask anyone about that. It wasn't my business to know. However, I felt daring.

"C-Chrystal?"

She turned around. "Yes?"

I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I was going to ask. "D-d-d-do you like T-Tristan?"

She turned as red as her hair.

"W-well, maybe. I-I don't know," she mumbled. She wouldn't meet my eye.

"I-I'm sorry! Forget it. It isn't my business at all," I said quickly.

I walked away as quickly as I could. I felt so bad. How could I ask her something like that?

 **Sorry the chapter was a bit short. Do you want anything to happen in the story? If you do, review and tell me! Thanks for reading!**


	44. In A Loving Fashion

**A/N Hello everyone! I get the feeling you'll like this chapter :). Also, a major thanks to Oh sugar for helping me write this. Thank you!**

 **Oh sugar: You are going to like this chapter. She is! And I would have never expected the Brynn thing. Thank you!**

 **CBear88: Thanks! Ooh, those are really really good! You are going to like this chapter ;)**

 **Smiley: You're welcome! Thank you, and goodbye Courtney. That is new, and you are right. Bai!**

 **potatospwat: Go potatos! A potato fight would be cool, but getting hit with a potato may hurt. A funeral. . . well. And I love mashed potatoes!**

 **P.S I don't own the song in this. Review if you can find out the little hidden thing with the singer's name!**

 _Leo's POV_

It had been a week since Courtney was eliminated. With an upcoming fashion show, I asked Rae to accompany me to one because of her love of fashion and designing. She seemed to be excited as we neared the show. It was in the centre of Angeles, the streets busy. A few people stopped and stared, making Rae a little uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, my voice laced with concern. I asked her to come here, so if anything happened it would be my fault.

"Yeah, I'm fine! It's just everyone staring. I'm not used to it."

"Maybe we should have gone incognito."

Before she could answer, the vehicle stopped. We left the car, security swarming around us. On instinct, I grabbed Rae's hand as cameras started flashing. My cheeks turned crimson red, and I looked away. I didn't want Rae to see.

"No, this is great! Thanks for inviting me," she said encouragingly. I smiled faintly.

We hurried through the crowded streets. We had lost the cameramen, and I didn't want them to find us. I had no care for them.

I realized I was till holding Rae's hand. I felt embarrassed, but I couldn't let go. Not for any romantic reason, but because if I did we would lose each other in the crowd.

I had never seen Rae out of the formal outfits we wore in the palace. She seemed even prettier, if that were possible. Her brown hair was up in a messy bun, her face free of makeup but glowing with happiness. She was wearing a simple tee and jeans.

We hurried into the show from the back entrance to avoid getting seen. Rae seemed fine and I pulled her closer as the rush of backstage settled around us. I walked quicker.

Suddenly I thought I saw someone. Someone familiar. I stopped, and felt Rae bump into my back.

"Leo? What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Let's go to the viewing area."

All the viewers were standing. It was very crowded, and Rae edged closer to me.

The sky was more dark than not when the lights went down. The spotlights focused on the runway. Rae gasped.

A woman with dark brown hair wearing a floor length light pink dress walked down the runway. She was smiling brightly, and the slight wind made her dress blow behind her. Rae pulled a camera out of nowhere and started snapping pictures.

The women pulled out a microphone. She said, "Good evening! Welcome to the fifteenth annual world fashion show! We show different styles of clothing from all over the world! Let's get started!"

A lady with light brown hair was wearing a black corset with a floor-length plaid skirt. Underneath the corset was a simple long-sleeved white shirt. I hadn't studied the other countries much, but I was pretty sure that was Scotland.

The next, Vietnam, was wearing a floor length black dress with orange and yellow birds. Japan's was a beautiful red kimono with pink flowers. The model's face was white and she wore really weird sandals with socks.

Russia wore a sparkling white dress with a elaborate headpiece. India had a gold bikini top (sort of) and a long layered red and orange skirt. New Asia wore a tight blue dress with beautiful white patterns on one side (I think it was called a _Qipao_ ).

The outfits were beautiful. Rae was amazed, and took about a million pictures. Time went quickly, and before we knew it it was the end. Well, almost.

The announcer went up to the front.

"Okay! We're almost done, but there is one more! This country was considered lost, but after extensive research we have found out some info! So please welcome Singapore!"

A woman came out in a beautiful pink/white dress that looked like a flower. It wasn't the dress that made me freeze.

The model had long blonde hair and a slim figure. Her blue eyes scanned the cheering crowd like she was better than all of them.

Courtney.

"H-how. . ." Rae stammered.

She walked down the runway, a faint smile on her face. Then she saw us.

Her slight smile disappeared. I could see her anger in her eyes.

We were right next to the end of the runway. Courtney walked up to the edge, everyone was clapping and cheering.

Suddenly her knees buckled. She fainted, falling towards me. I instantly knew she planned this since she saw us. She wanted me to catch her.

I was prepared to do it, but Courtney's calculations were off. Instead of falling into my arms, she fell on Rae. Rae squealed in surprise and fright, and toppled to the ground.

A bunch of people from back stage came at the speed of light. I was pushed aside by other people, wanting to see what happened. I lost sight of Rae completely.

"Rae!" I screamed, but other noise drowned me out.

The lights went out. Did the people who were in charge of the lights come to see what happened? Anyways, it was pitch black. Everyone was panicking and screaming. I could hardly hear myself talk.

"Rae! Raelynn!"

"Leo! Leo, help!"

I ran toward the noise, pushing people out of the way. Where was she? In this situation she could be seriously injured.

"Rae!"

"I'm down here!"

I pushed through some more people and found her on the ground. She was hugging her knees, and looked terrified.

"Rae! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine. Just a little sh-shaken up."

I helped her up. I could see the castle in the distance. It wasn't too far from here, but definitely too far to walk. I decided to go that way anyway.

Once we got into good light, I pulled out my cell phone to call somebody.

"Leo? I thought you were at that fashion show with Raelynn," Kalliope answered.

"Yeah, something happened. Can you tell the driver we're on the corner of King and Farfara?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I'll tell you later."

I hung up. She would yell at me later, but I didn't care at the moment.

Rae was sitting on a bench. She still looked a bit scared. I sat down next to her.

"Hey. Sorry about what happened there. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. It was just pretty scary. But I'm totally fine! I was really fun and I got a lot of great pictures!"

"I'm glad you liked it."

We sat there in silence. Rae grabbed my hand and laid her head on my shoulder. We stayed like that until the car came.

 _About when the fashion show started, Tristan's POV_

Dad had a bunch of paperwork to do, so Lottie and I escaped to the palace like we usually did. Kalliope told us Leo was out with one of the Selected. I got nervous almost immediately. Was it Chrystal?

An image of her fiery locks filled my mind, she was breathtaking. Her hair was the opposite of her sweet personality though, and she was always so adorable.

I groaned, she was in my best friends Selected, I couldn't do this.

Getting up, I decided to clear my head. I left the library only to hear giggles.

My heartbeat sped up, Chrystal was close. It was hard not to recognise her.

I turned the corner and saw Chrystal chatting with Elodie. They stopped when they saw me.

"Hi Tristan!" Elodie said happily.

"H-hey," Chrystal stuttered.

"Hello ladies."

A moment passed. In the blink of an eye Elodie shoved Chrystal in the back and ran away quickly. I caught a glimpse of a mischievous smile on her face.

Chrystal fell into my arms. She steadied herself, blushing furiously.

"S-sorry!"

"It's fine. Hey, I'm kind of thirsty. Wanna go get a drink?"

"S-sure."

We walked to the kitchens. I got some coffee, and Chrystal got hot chocolate. I walked her to her room while we sipped our drinks.

I couldn't help peeking at her once in awhile. She was so _pretty_. Her red hair was down, and her light green eyes were flitting about.

We got back to her room. I was about to leave, before she stopped me.

"Wait!"

I turned around.

"U-um, will you come in?"

I walked into her room. It wasn't that decorated, there were some pictures but other then that, nothing.

"Well, I just wanted to say. . .well, I know I just met you!" she said nervously. "And I know this is crazy!"

"But here's my number, so call me maybe!" I blurted out.

She stared at me. And then burst out laughing.

I started laughing too, and soon we were both cracking up.

"Kalliope used to love that song," I said. It was hard to speak I was laughing so hard.

"Braelynn and I used to listen to it all the time. She would never understand the lyrics though."

"Who's Braelynn?"

"My little sister."

We stopped laughing. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"What I'm trying to say is," Chrystal finally said. "Is that I like you. I really really like you, and not just like as a friend but like as in like like and I know it's treason but-"

I kissed her to shut her up. Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away.

After a few seconds I pulled away. She was breathless.

"That's good. 'Cause I like you too."

And we kissed again. And it felt so right.


	45. Beautiful Sunsets

**A/N Hello!**

 **Oh sugar: Trystal is OTP. Thanks!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: It happened! Thank you! And it really wasn't. Good luck at your new job!**

 **AdalaideThatFrenchGirl: Yay! Thank you!**

 **potatospwat: I'll try to add a potato. Ooh, Breo is a good ship name. Kind of reminds me of Oreo.**

 **Smiley: Courtney is mean, but Trystal is awesome. Your welcome! Adios!**

 **R: . . .Okay**

 **N: . . . Okay then.**

 **DangeroulsySwt: You are right! And get it? Carly** _ **Rae**_ **Jepson? HAHAHAHA**

 _Leo's POV_

It was Monday morning. Last night was quite an ordeal. I was glad I eliminated Courtney now, it was the right decision.

As I arrived at breakfast, the ladies were chatting. I guess the awkward silence had finally worn off. Mer, Elodie, and Rose were listening to Rae chat about what had happened last night. Brynn and Ari were chatting, and Cassandra was eating. Vivian was looking around and taking small bites of food.

Chrystal had hardly touched her food. She was looking at the wall, a dreamy look on her face. When I walked in with Tristan she blushed and started picking at her food. I glanced at Tristan, and he was blushing too.

We sat down. Lottie and my sisters started chatting.

I turned around to face Tristan. "What happened last night?"

He was blushing the same color of the tomato in the fritatta we were eating. "W-well, I kissed Chrystal last night."

"You _what_?!"

It came out a little louder than I meant it to. The girl's heads turned, and I turned a bit pink.

"Sorry," I said to the girls, then looked at Tristan expectantly.

"Well, she said she liked me and she started babbling so I just kissed her and then I told her I liked her and then we kissed again. Then I had to go because I had to go home and sleep."

I started to grin from ear to ear. "This is like those romance novels my sisters like to read. Should I say good job?"

"No."

"Okay."

I still thought I should say good job. Then I came across the thought that even though I was the one having a Selection. That was depressing.

Suddenly I remembered what I was going to do. I stood up and hit my knife against my empty glass. The noise was quite loud, and everyone turned to look at me.

I cleared my throat. "Good morning everyone. Now, I have decided that on Friday, live on the Report, we will have a talent show! Your performance must be under ten minutes and be interesting. Later today I will check with you about what you will be doing. You may go back to eating breakfast now."

I sat down, and immediately the girls started to gossip.

 _Later On_

I knocked on Elodie's door, clipboard in my hand. I was pretty sure what she would do, but I wanted to check.

She answered the door, her hair in a messy bun.

"Leo! Whatcha doing?"

"I'm checking to see what everyone is doing for the talent show. What will you be performing?"

She laughed, a lovely sound like wind chimes. "I'm going to do ballet. Obviously, but what else would I do?"

I smiled at her. "Your performance will be great."

"Thank you! Do you know where a ballet studio is? Is there even one at the palace?" she asked.

"I do not believe there's one here. Do you need to go anywhere?"

"No, I'll just practice in my room. Thanks, I'll see you at lunch!"

I wrote down _Elodie: Ballet_ on my paper.

The next door was Mer. I knocked on the door, but it swung open.

I peered in. Mer wasn't the only one in the room. Rae was in there too. They were drawing, looking on each other's papers and smiling.

"Hi," I said. They both jumped.

"Oh, hi Leo!" Mer said. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes. What are you doing for the talent show?"

"Oh, Rae and I were wondering if we could do a fashion show together. We'd design the clothing, not model it. Is that okay?" she asked.

"It's fine. May I see what you've done?"

Rae grabbed her paper and came over to me.

"This is what we have. The theme is summer!"

On the paper was a drawing of a blue dress with white and pale pink flowers. It went down to the floor.

"That looks beautiful!"

Both of their faces lit up. "Thank you!" they said at the same time.

"Your welcome. I have to go collect the other's performances, good luck."

Vivian was next. She told me she was going to do some modelling. The next girl was Cassandra.

"I'm going to play the harp."

I blinked a couple of times. "You play the harp?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I can't wait to hear it."

Brynn said she would be doing contemporary dance. Ari would be doing karate, and Chrystal would be doing parkour.

The last girl was Rose. I knocked on the door.

She opened it. "Hey Leo." She sounded a bit weary.

"Hey Rose. What are you going to do for the talent show?"

She bit her lip. "I'm not sure yet."

"Huh?"

"I don't really know what I'm really good at yet. I've been trying some stuff, but. . ."

"Can I see what you've been doing?"

"Yeah. Come in!"

I walked in her room, which was sparsely decorated. There was a drawing of a dress, and some nice paintings on the wall.

"I painted this," she said, showing me a canvas.

I was stunned. She had painted a beautiful picture of a sunset. There was Angeles city, the gardens, and a golden sun surrounded by pinks, reds, and oranges.

"You painted this?"

"Yeah. D-do you like it?"

I stared at her. "Are you kidding? It's amazing! You should do an art show or something."

"You think so?" she asked, looking a bit hopeful.

"Yeah!"

"Okay. I'll do it."

I hadn't talked to Rose that much since the beach trip. She was really nice, and I liked her, so I decided something.

"Do you want to go on a date on Saturday? I'd like to get to know you better," I asked.

She blushed a bit. "Of course."

"Cool. I'll meet you here at noon."

I kissed her hand, which made her smile beautifully.

 **Sorry if this chapter is a bit boring. So next chapter will be a dress rehearsal, and then the actual thing! Review what you thought, and thanks for reading!**


	46. Dress Rehearsal

**A/N Hi! The new chapter is here! Yay!**

 **Smiley: Trystal is adorbs. Ooh, Ledie is a good ship name! And thanks for telling me about Rosanna (wait, was Val pregnant when she entered the Selection?)**

 **potatospwat: Leo potato lol. BOW DOWN! Lerynn's good too!**

 **Cbear88: Who doesn't like Trystal? Thank you!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Woop woop! I wish I could do parkour. That's good. Thank you!**

 **Leigha: Trystal is amazing! The date will be soon! Mer, Brynn, and Rose are cool.**

 **ImaginationStories: Thank you so much for checking out the story (and liking it)!**

 _Leo's POV_

The ladies had been working non-stop for the last couple days. Now it was Thursday night, the dress rehearsal.

Rae and Mer's arms were full of clothes, and were rushing to the makeshift dressing rooms to give the models their clothes. Ari was looking scary while punching the air, Brynn and Chrystal were doing a crazy stretches, and Elodie was doing the splits. Vivian was in her dressing room, and Rose was doing the finishing touches on a painting.

I had told Marius and Tristan to be the stagehands. They called it the, "rigging people." Griffin and I were going to be the Masters of Ceremonies, and Kalliope and Luna were going to be helping out backstage.

I nudged Mer, and she turned around.

"Remember, you two are first," I reminded her. She nodded, and rushed off.

"Five minutes 'till the dress rehearsal starts!" someone yelled. I ran in front of the curtain we had made for the occasion. Griffin was already there, and handed me my microphone.

"Starting in two!"

"This isn't the real thing, but pretend it is," Griffin told me. I nodded.

"Starting now!"

"Good evening Illea! Now, as many of you know, the Selected talent show is tonight!" Griffin announced. He shot me a look.

"Y-yes Griffin. Tonight the Selected will show us what they got."

He smiled. "The first act consists of two people! Ladies Meredith Kressin and Raelynn Derryn are both aspiring fashion designers, so watch out world! Tonight models will show their summer-themed outfits!"

"Welcome them to the stage!" I concurred.

The curtain opened, and the first model came onstage, smiling and flipping her hair.

 _Skip forward, Marius's POV_

Elodie was the second act, and she was doing some fancy ballet moves. I liked her, she was nice. She could also speak fluent French, which was cool.

I tried to focus on the switches in front of me. I had to put the spotlight on Elodie, but which one? Why didn't people label these things?

I thought I found the switch, so I was about to switch it before I heard someone yell, "Wait!"

It was Luna. Her face was bright red, but she approached me anyway.

"T-that switch is to turn of a-all the lights," she blurted out.

"Oh. Thanks, I guess."

I reached for another switch, but she grabbed my arm.

"U-um, it's this one."

She pointed to a switch next to a rotatable rod. I flicked the switch, and then moved the rod until I saw the light was on Elodie. I had to constantly move it, she was moving around so much.

The next girl was Chrystal, who was doing parkour, so the lights weren't as complicated.

"So," I asked. "How's life?"

"O-okay," she stammered.

"Hey! Are you harassing my sister?" someone yelled.

It was Kalliope. Duh.

"Why aren't you in France anyway?" she asked, wrinkling her nose like I was the gum on the bottom of her heel.

"My mother wanted me to get to know my fiance," I said, slinging my arm around her shoulders. I thought I saw hurt cross Luna's face, and a pang of guilt hit me.

Kalliope pushed my arm off her. "You're supposed to be doing the lights."

 **A/N Did ya like the chapter? It was a bit short because I didn't want to spoil the actual talent show, which is next chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	47. The Talent Show

**A/N Hello everybody! I am so sorry about the long wait for this chapter. It's way longer than the ones I usually do, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **ImaginationStories: They are! Chrystal is so taken. Who are you rooting for (did you mention it in the review?). I wasn't planning on that. Thank you! And there will be a sequel after this is finished!**

 **AdalaideThatFrenchGirl: Well the chapter is finally here! Yay!**

 **potatospwat: I do! Brynn is awesome. I might do that but I have things planned. Maybe. . . hehe.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: It is here! And thanks!**

 **starryworlds: Both of them are OTP. And I can't dance or paint either. Thank you!**

 **Smiley: That's good. They are cute!**

 **Leigha: Nice ship names!**

 _Leo's POV_

The talent show was about to start. Because of it we boosted up the Report ticket costs, but only for this week. There were also more tickets, so there was more people on the other side of the curtain. I gulped.

Griffin nudged was our cue. We walked through the gap in the curtain.

The audience erupted into cheers. We smiled, and waited until the applause died down.

"Good evening Illea! Now, as many of you know, the Selected talent show is tonight!" Griffin announced.

"The Selected will be able to show us what they got tonight!" I began. "The first two ladies, Raelynn Derryn and Meredith Kressin, are aspiring fashion designers! They have designed many summer themed outfits for others to model, so we hope you like them!"

We stepped aside as the curtain opened. The first model walked down the runway. She was wearing the dress the two girls had shown me the day I was finding out what everyone was doing, except they tweaked it. It was still blue, but darker. It went to the floor, but instead of white and pale pink flowers there were white patterns so it looked like a wave. Her dark blue heels clinked on the floor, and her face showed no emotion.

The next model wore a denim shirt and a beige skirt. When she got to the end of the runway, she twirled. The skirt fanned out beautifully, and the audience went wild.

The next outfit had a black top and a cerulean blue skirt that was longer in the back then in the front. Then a pale blue dress. The model's chestnut hair was in an updo, and she had a small smile. After that, a pastel pink skirt with a black lacy top. The model strutted to the end, with a determined look in her eye. When she got there she struck a pose.

The crowd was loving the designs. Mer and Rae had done a great job, each outfit looked amazing on the person who wore it. I could hear the snap of cameras from the audience.

It was Vivian's turn now, before the show ended. The fashion show was over quicker than I expected. Or had more time passed? She walked on the runway, flashing a smile. She was wearing an almost see-through white dress with no fabric covering her shoulders. She didn't originally want to model for the fashion show, but I convinced her too. Vivian had somehow bribed me into a date next week, which I hoped would go well. She would still model later in the show.

Her hips swayed as she strutted down the runway. When she saw me she fluttered her eyebrows a couple times, which made my face feel hot.

It was the last outfit before this act ended and the next started. I had convinced Rae and Mer that each of them should model one of their outfits.

Rae and Mer walked down the runway, each blushing furiously. Rae wore a beautiful white dress, which was lacy around the collar. Her hair was down, and she wore no makeup.

Mer wore a backless pale pink dress that made her look dazzling. Her hair was clipped up, and she also had no makeup.

When they got to the end they both waved. First it was a bit shy, but then they got a bit less scared. The audience loved them.

The curtain closed, and Griffin and I came out.

"Meredith and Raelynn are really amazing! They designed all of those outfits!" I said enthusiastically.

"Watch out for their names in the future! They are very skilled!" Griffin added. "Now, another skilled lady will be onstage very soon! You may have already heard of Elodie Marc. She is an amazing ballet dancer who will be performing a piece from The Sleeping Beauty."

"Welcome Elodie to our stage!"

While Griffin and I were talking the staff had miraculously changed the runway into a setting from The Sleeping Beauty. In the background the was a castle (but smaller) and two doors.

Elodie came out in a yellow outfit with gold and white. Her hair was in a bun, and she wore a tiara. The music started.

Elodie went on pointe, her arms high in the air. She took a step to the side, quickly pointing her leg out behind her. One arm went high in the air then down again. She then walked to the side, bringing her legs up and down and up and down. Elodie started going the other way. She walked on pointe to the left and then the right, her arms swaying.

Elodie turned one way, and then the other. She turned toward the audience, balancing perfectly on one foot. Her other leg was high in the air behind her. She did a little hop (with two feet) and tiptoed one way. Then she did little movements with her hands like she was giving people gifts.

She went on one foot, leaning toward one side. The other foot went up high in the air, but this time to her side.

The music stopped. Elodie did a little bow. The audience applauded, but it wasn't over yet.

The music changed into something a little more fast paced. She now lifted one leg up and then brought it down. She did a leap to the side, her legs coming up high and very far apart. She started walking to my right, one leg coming up, then bending, then coming down. She lifted up one leg again, but it came up to almost her ear. Then she did the whole thing again going to my other side.

She started going the other way, but at an angle so she was going towards the background. Elodie did a couple twirls. She ended with her hands in the air.

She did all of this with a serene smile on her face.

The audience applauded again. She did a couple bows, then went off stage. She glannced at me, and I gave her a double thumbs up. Her face lit up.

"Okay, that was officially amazing," I said once Griffin and I were on the stage.

"You are right. I really don't get how people can do that," Griffin chuckled. "Next up we have someone doing something quite unique. Lady Chrystal Veronessi will be doing parkour!"

"Welcome Ms. Veronessi to the stage!"

Chrystal walked on stage. Her red hair was in a bun, and she wore black leggings, a blue top, and green sneakers.

She turned to the background, which was the regular wall. She ran, and did a backflip up the wall. Everyone applauded, and she smiled.

Then she went to the actual course. She did a forward roll down a wedge, and then stood up. Next there was two walls, close together, but not too close. She jumped from one to one, until she got to the top. There were another two walls, which she jumped over with ease.

She climbed down, and then jumped over a big block, rolling and landing. Then she easily jumped over a fence. She did a cartwheel, but didn't put her hands on the ground. The next part was just a regular fence, but with squares about every foot and a half. She jumped across them, then ran up a wall. From there she jumped, grabbing on the next wall.

She stood. Chrystal was pretty high of the ground, maybe seven feet? There was a mat on the ground, but it was very thin. I bit my lip.

She jumped. For a minute she was just in the air, but then she landed, immediately rolling forward. She stood up, and the audience erupted.

It was quick, but I saw her glance at Tristan. He smiled at her, and her eyes brightened.

Chrystal left the stage, and the curtain closed. Griffin and I entered.

"That was very impressive," Griffin said. "Parkour is hard, and she did very well."

I smiled. "Chrystal is skilled. The next Selected is also talented. Brynn Ackerman will be doing contemporary dance to the song 'Fight Song'. You may have already heard of her, she's an actress and the daughter of Jason Ackerman."

The curtains started parting, and Griffin and I left the stage. Brynn's hair was also in a bun, and her head was down. She wore a tight black top and short back shorts.

The singing started, and Brynn rolled forward, hands on her thighs. Then she went up, her hands looked like she was grabbing something and pulling it towards her. She let go, then bended down, her left hand going up. Then her hand moved like it was painting something.

Brynn grabbed her arm with her other hand and then spun around. She walked a couple steps in one direction, and then turned to face the other way. She held her chest and brought her leg up behind her. Brynn twirled, brought her arm across her chest, and bent her knees. She thrust her arms in front of her like an X, and then straightened her legs and brought her arms up in a V.

She leg went up to her hand. Brynn turned so her back was toward us, and curled her arm in. She turned to the side and put her hands out like she was pushing against a wall. She twirled to the other side, and almost did a handstand. She turned like she was doing a backbend, and then brought one leg high in the air.

Brynn did a kick, crossed her arms, and reached to the ground. She turned around and rolled her body backwards then forwards. She twirled, her legs in a ninety degree angle.

She ended up against the wall, she smiled. The song ended, and the audience cheered.

Brynn waved, smiling brightly. She exited the stage, and we came on.

"Beautiful dance," Griffin commented. "I loved it, how about you?"

"I did too! It went well with the song."

"The next Selected, Miss Rose Maynard, has none some painting over the last week and is ready to show of her talent! Welcome Rose, or Rose's art!" Griffin said.

The curtain opened. Onstage there was a giant screen that you could project pictures onto.

The first painting was the sunset from the other day. The second was the castle. It was at night, so the background was a deep blue, and the castle windows seemed to glow.

The third picture was the gardens. The fourth too. There were paintings of the flowers, the bridge and pond, the grass and hammock, and the entrance.

The next painting, the seventh I think, was a picture of Mer and me. We were outside, she was wearing a pink dress. Was that from our first date?

It had to be. I recognized that jacket I was wearing, the one that Mer gave me a replacement for. How did Rose get a picture of that?

The next painting was a watercolor painting of Angeles city. The ninth piece of art seemed to be made with color pencils. It was a drawing of my family and the Elite at breakfast.

The last painting was possibly the most beautiful. It was all the Elite. Courtney was in the painting as well. She was rolling her eyes. Vivian had a small smile on her face. Cassandra wasn't smiling, but you could tell by her eyes that she was happy. Mer and Rae were smiling brightly, Elodie was on pointe and smiling. She looked very concentrated. Brynn was also smiling, showing white teeth. Ari had a small smile, and Rose herself was smiling ear to ear.

The slide stopped, and Rose came out. She wore a light blue dress that went to her knees. She smiled shyly, and the audience started clapping and cheering.

"Those were gorgeous paintings, weren't they?" I asked Griffin.

"They sure were. The next act is a little less. . . calm. Arianna Foster will be doing karate! Give it up for her!"

The crowd clapped politely as Ari walked on. She was wearing one of those white robes that I've seen Lottie wore. Her chestnut-brown hair was in a ponytail.

The trainer that she would fight walked on, but Arianna objected.

"No. I want to battle her," Ari said.

And pointed back stage.

First I was confused. Then Lottie walked out of the shadows, smiling happily yet evilly. The whole room seemed to suck in a breath. Lottie was _impossibly_ good at karate.

"Sure," Lottie decided. "As long as you don't mind losing."

Some members of the audience went, "Oooh!" Ari just smiled.

The match started. Ari immediately tried to kick high, but Lottie blocked it easily. Ari was obviously good at offense, she drove Lottie back with a series of punches and kicks. Lottie had her arms crossed in front of her, but looked eerily calm.

Ari tried to roundhouse kick her in the face, but Lottie caught her foot. She brought it down, and Ari crashed on the mat. Ari quickly got back up, and Lottie tried to punch her. Ari barely missed it, but Lottie turned around. With a loud yell, she elbowed Ari in the stomach. The whole audience gasped.

Ari fell backwards. Lottie tried to punch her, but Ari rolled. She got back up, and started blocking Lottie. She threw a few punches, but they never connected.

Lottie tried to hit her, but Ari caught her arm and flipped her over her shoulder. Ari brought her foot down, but Lottie rolled over backwards and got on her feet.

Now they were both doing offense. Sometimes one would connect with the other person, and the room would gasp.

After the match had been going on for about ten minutes (but ten exciting minutes) someone sounded a gong. Both of them stopped.

The person that Ari was going to fight said that the match was over. Lottie and Ari both bowed to each other, and walked of stage.

Needless to say, I was very impressed. How was Ari able to get training? She must have more money than I thought.

"I was _not_ expecting them to tie," Griffin said.

"I know right! Lottie is really good, so the fact that Ari tied with her means she must be amazing at karate," I began. "The next Selected is very famous model. Lady Vivian Chancler will do some modelling for us today!"

We left, and the curtain opened. The mat and background had disappeared, now there was a city background. Vivian was sitting in the middle of the stage.

She wore a pink crop top and tight jeans. Her hands were in between her legs, and she smiled coyly.

Vivian ran her hand through her thick brown hair and arched her back like a cat. She fluttered her eyelashes. Then she got on all fours and smiled.

She stood up, and slowly walked to the camera. She blew a little kiss, then walked to the audience. Someone rushed to move the camera.

She went up to people in the audience (guys). I didn't know why there were so many teenage guys there. Practically all of them were drooling, and I had the strong desire to roll my eyes.

Sometimes she would run her fingers through their hair, or slightly stroke their cheek. All in all, it was weird and they loved it.

Finally her act ended. Griffin and I entered the stage once again.

"Vivian is very good at modelling isn't she?" Griffin asked me.

"Uh, yeah. She's good" I said. I had that desire again.

"The last but certainly not least Selected will be playing the harp. Lady Cassandra Dove is a vet, but obviously has many other talents! Welcome her to The Report!"

The background was a simple white. Cassandra was wearing a elegant light blue dress and her blonde hair was clipped up. She sat on a stool, her golden harp next to her.

And she started to play.

The lovely sound of the musical instrument filled the room. She ran her fingers over the strings, smiling happily. Then she began to sing.

Her voice was amazing. It was light and high, a beautiful soprano. The world seemed to stop orbiting.

She was singing Fireflies by Owl City. The song was old, but my mother loved it.

It was over all too quickly. The room was silent for a minute, and Cass seemed to get nervous.

Then the audience exploded with cheers, and she was fine again. She had a small smiled, and curtseyed. She walked off stage.

Griffin and I got back in front of the curtain for the last time.

"Cassandra has an amazing voice. It's seriously beautiful," I said.

"You are certainly right. Now, thank you to the awesome audience, here and at home!" Griffin announced.

"I hope you enjoyed our show!" I added.

"Thank you!"


	48. A Sweet Rose

**A/N Hey everyone! Today's chapter is the date with Rose! I hope you like it! Byt first, the review thingys!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: NAP! Thanks so much! I like Sleeping Beauty as well. Thanks for telling me! Thanks again!**

 **potatospwat: . . . I'm American. But by all means, go New Zealand! I have no idea what you're talking about, so yeah. I love Fight Song! Thanks!**

 **Smiley: School's out for me too! Thank you! Is the character Elia Mike? Thank you so much!**

 **ImaginationStories: Parkour is awesome. HOW CAN YOU MISS COURTNEY? Those three are awesome! Leo's real name is Leopold, but come on. Who wants to be called that?**

 **Booklovin'03: Thank you! And I have something dramatic planned.**

 **xXxForeverYoungxXx: Mer and Rae are really cool! And Chrystal and Tristan are so goals!**

 **yay: Hehe. And thanks!**

 **starryworlds: Thanks! And I love Cassandra!**

 **Also, I started a new SYOC, so check that out! It's called Once Upon A Blue Moon, A SYOC.**

 _Leo's POV_

Today was my date with Rose. I hoped that she liked what I had planned. I thoguht it was funny.

I knocked on the door to her room. No one answered. That did make sense, it was early. Very early. I knocked again. Nothing.

I turned the door knob, and the door swung open. I tiptoed in. Rose was lying in bed. She was sleeping.

I tiptoed to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped up so fast she hit me in the face.

"Ohhhh," I moaned.

She looked from side to side until she saw me. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you'd be here this early!" she fretted.

I smiled at her. "I'm fine. I should have told you I'd be here early."

"Um, I'm going to get ready. Could you. . ."

"Ah. I'll go stand outside. By the way, we are going to be out of the palace. You should wear something practical."

I walked out of her room and waited until she came out. Rose wore a navy blue skirt and a blue and white top under a gray hoodie. It was simple, but she looked good. I voiced my thoughts, which made her blush.

I took her hand, and we walked down to the gates together. A limo was waiting for us. I quickly went to open the door for her.

"M'lady."

"Thank you," she said, going pink.

I sat down next to her, and we drove to our destination in silence. It was slightly awkward, but I didn't mind.

We soon stopped. I got out of the car and held the door open for Rose. When she saw the sign she gasped.

"A-A rose garden?" she asked, already giggling.

"Of course," I said with a silly voice. "I could not help but take the lovely Rose to a Rose Garden. It's the best in Angeles!"

I switched back to my normal voice. "We can watch the sunrise."

We entered the Rose Garden. Rose loved it there. She did mention that she loved the outdoors on an earlier date, so I thought it would be nice to take her here. It was on a tall hill, so there was a great view of Angeles City.

"Leo, look!"

I rushed over. She was looking at a strange rose. It was red and white.

"It's so pretty," she gushed.

"That's an Osiria Rose. It's petals are slivery-white on the outside and red on the inside," I stated.

"How'd you know that?"

"The plaque."

Rose smiled. "They have a lot of them."

"Do you want one?"

"No! They are really beautiful, I don't want to take one."

I bumped her gently with my shoulder. "You are very considerate."

We went around looking at the flowers. They were very beautiful, but it was harder to look at them in the dark. I did notice it was starting to get lighter.

I tugged on her sleeve. "I think the sunrise is starting."

We went to sit down on a grassy hill. The sun rose, bringing beautiful pinks and oranges. The sky getting lighter until it was a light blue. I grabbed Rose's hand, and she didn't object.

"For you," I said. I brought out a light pink rose, the morning dew still shining. She gasped.

"F-for me?"

"Yeah."

"T-thank you," she said. Rose took it, smiling giddily.

"Be careful. It has thorns," I warned.

"I don't mind," she said.

We stood up, hands interwined, and walked to a gazebo together. We sat down in silence.

"So," I said. "Do you like it here?"

"I love it! All of the flowers are really pretty, and the view is beautiful!"

"I can take you again, if you'd like," I suggested.

"Yeah. I'd like that," she said

Suddenly we were leaning in and kissing. It was short and sweet. When it ended we were both blushing.

Then Rose's stomach rumbled.

"Heh," she said, turning more red.

"I'm pretty hungry too. Wanna get food?' I asked.

"Yeah. Lets go."

And together we walked back to the limo, hand in hand.


	49. A New Her

**A/N Hi hi hi!**

 **potatospwat: No (I don't really watch sports). Thanks! Those names are amazing!**

 **Smiley: I do! Thank you! I didn't know Scarlet was yours! Thanks again, and have a great summer.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Thanks a bunch!**

 **ImaginationStories: I'm so glad you think so! And thanks.**

 **Cbear88: Thank you!**

 **Booklovin'03: Thanks! I'm very touched, I'll totally go check it out!**

 **Sparklingdust112: Thank you! I'm glad I did!**

 _Leo's POV_

I straightened my tie in the mirror. I had to do this dinner date with Vivian, and I had to look my best.

Vivian was waiting outside her door. She wore a mauve floor length dress that had spaggeti straps. She didn't do anything with her hair, but had lipstick on. She looked gorgeous.

"Good evening Leo," she purred. I flinched, which was probably not the right thing to do.

"Good evening," I said. Thank god I didn't stutter.

I stuck out my arm, and she gladly took it. We walked together to the room where we'd have dinner in. The large room was lit by candellight, and there was a table in the middle covered in a white tablecloth. We took a seat.

A waiter brought us our food (lobster). It was delicious, but food wasn't on my mind.

"So Vivian, what do you like to do?" I asked her. Sure she was mean, but I still wanted to get to know her a little bit.

"I like to model," she said smoothly. "I also like photography. Shopping and clubbing are also some of my hobbies. What do you like to do?"

To others that could have been deemed just a curious question. By to look on her face and her posture, I knew it wasn't.

"I like to talk to people, read, and do theatre stuff."

"Theatre stuff. You mean like acting?"

"Y-yeah," I said. Godammit I did stutter.

"I know some very famous people. I could get you a job," she said.

"That's nice of you, but I'm going to be king," I pointed out. "I can't be an actor."

"That's true," she said. "Wanna go clubbing?"

I outright stared at her. "What?"

"This is fun, but it's a bit boring. I live in this city, so I know a good club. C'mon."

She marched out of the room, and I followed her, dumbfounded. I was surprised, I didn't know it would turn out this way.

"Can you get a limo?" she asked.

"U-uh, sure," I stammered. Where was this side of Vivian before?

I pulled out my cell phone and called the driver. We were soon getting out of the car in front of a club called _The Fae Folk_.

"Will you be okay in that dress?" I asked. Vivian was still wearing the floor-length mauve dress from before.

"I'll be fine. Lets go get some drinks."

She grabbed my hand and walked in the club like she owned the place. Guy who was scanning the IDs just let us pass. The bartender saw her and shouted, "Vivian! Wasn't expecting to see you here! The usual?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting down at the bar. She saw me at the door and motioned for me to sit down.

As I walked to her I looked around. Crowds of people were dancing to loud music. Many people were sitting at the bar, laughing and doing PDAs. There were multi-colored lights shining everywhere.

"Will your boyfriend have what your having?" he asked.

"Definitely," she answered, flashing me a mischievous smile.

"What are you getting?"

"A coconut martini. Jerry makes the best ones around."

"What's a coconut martini? And who's Jerry?"

"Jerry's the bartender. And a coconut martini has vanilla vodka, coconut rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice."

I had to admit that sounded good, but I was still skeptical. And nervous. "Should we even be doing this? I'm only 20, and you're 19."

Vivian gave me a look. "You probably haven't even been in a club before. You are _not_ chickening out."

That shut me up. At least, until the drink came. It was white-ish brown, and the glass had something around the rim. Coconut shavings?

Vivian was already downing hers, so I counted to three and gulped.

I was not expecting what I tasted. I thought it was taste too much like beer, or too sweet, or too bitter, or just plain gross. I was not expecting the heaven that entered my mouth.

It was sweet, but not too sweet. You could taste the rum and vodka, but it didn't overpower it. I got a bit dizzy, but I hardly noticed.

"It's amazing, right?" she asked. I noticed she'd almost finished her first glass.

"Y-yeah. It's really really good."

I finished it quickly, and was just about to ask for another when Vivian stopped me.

"Ah ah ah! Jerry's coconut martini isn't the only good thing that's here. He makes great layered shots," she said. She looked pretty sober for someone who downed two martinis in the last two minutes.

"Jerry! A couple Russian Qualude please and thank you!"

About 12 layered shots were in front of us within seconds. I was starting to really like this guy.

"Lets take a shot," she said.

She grabbed a glass, and I did too.

"Three, two, one!" we both chanted, and then downed a shot. Again, it tasted stunning. We downed a few more.

Now I was starting to feel a bit dizzy.

"Maybe we should stop," I said.

"One more!" she yelled, a crazy smile on her face.

"Jerry! Gimlet please!"

He delivered a green drink that I tried to sip. I failed, and gulped it down.

"You're holding your liquor well for someone who's never drank before," she mentioned.

"I have drank before."

"Yeah right," she said, laughing. "Hey lets play truth or dare."

"Okay," I slurred. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to go in the men's bathroom."

"Okay," she said. She got up and sauntered over to the restrooms. I followed her for the second time that evening.

She walked straight into the bathroom. Three guys were in there. One waved, one just ignored her, and one panicked. He ran into a stall and tripped over his pants.

"I can't believe you actually did that," I said once we got back to our seats.

"Yeah yeah," she said, waving her hand. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to tell a random girl that she's pretty."

"Gotcha," I said, stumbling out of my seat.

I went up to a random girl on the dance floor. She was dancing with her friends.

"Hey beautiful," I said, smiling. She giggled, and I was about to say something else, but one of her friends pulled her away.

"Your turn. Truth or Dare," I said to Vivian.

"Truth."

"Why are you so mean to all the other Selected?" I asked.

For a second I thought I had asked something stupid. But her facial expression didn't change, and she seemed calm when she answered me.

"My parents don't care about me. They only care about how famous I am. They controlled me and judged me. When I'm mean I feel like I'm not being the one pushed around. I hate being mean though."

I didn't speak for a minute.

"You should try being nice. You're good at it."

She smiled, and I got the feeling she was blushing. "Thanks. Your turn."

The dares got crazier and crazier, and the time got later and later. The last dare was from me to Vivian, and it was to go sing onstage.

"Fine," she said, getting up and going onstage.

She told something to the DJ, who left in a huff. The music stopped, and everyone was confused for a minute until Vivian spoke.

"Hey everyone! My friend told me to sing in front of all of you, so here I am!" she yelled, and everyone cheered.

"When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions, free of the coliseum!" she sang. She wasn't half-bad at singing, she was pretty good. Everyone started to dance again.

She sang the whole song. Everyone cheered loudly as she walked of the stage.

We did leave the club. I made a mental note to go back again. I called the limo, and five minutes later we piled in giggling like crazy.

That night was amazing.

 **I hope you liked the chapter! DO NOT DRINK UNDERAGE PLEASE! Thank you!**


	50. In Three Weeks

**A/N What's up people!**

 **Albertina101: I will! And thanks!**

 **ImaginationStories: She really is different then everybody thought.**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Vivian is different. And I'll do that next time. Don't drink underage!**

 **Smiley: She does! Rose is cool. Thanks! And he did! Bye!**

 **starryworlds: I'm so glad! I think in America (or Illea) the age is 21. Thanks!**

 **potatospwat: I've never had champagne.**

 **Booklovin'03: Thank you! And it was no problem.**

 **FIFTY CHAPTERS AAAAAHHHHHHH!**

 _Kalliope's POV_

I eyed the door to my father's office suspeciously. He had texted me to come, and I knew it couldn't be good.

I reluctantly opened the door. My father was in there, with Marius. I immedietly started glaring at him, and he _winked_ at me.

My vision tunneled, and I was about to slap him when my father cleared his throat.

"Kalliope, sit down," he commanded. I sat down, but still glared fiercly at the scumbag that is Marius.

"Now, I have called you both here to talk about your engagement."

Damn! I had almost forgot about that.

"We haven't been talking about the wedding in a long while. But I have been planning it, and it is mostly planned. Your wedding will be in three weeks."

The whole world seemed to freeze. I couldn't get my head around it. Married. In three weeks I was going to be married.

"WHAT!"

"I know it's soon and unexpected, but France and Illea needs this alliance. The rebels are acting up again and-"

"I'm 17! And I am _not_ marrying this idiot! And three weeks!? Whatever you say, I don't care. I will not get married!"

"Am I that bad?" Marius asked, teasing.

"Oh no you aren't. All you did was pass out on me. And you were too heavy to get off so you were on top of me for a hour! That's totally fine by me," I yelled sarcastically.

"Kalliope! You do not have a choice! Now leave before you cause any more trouble."

I ran out of the room, slamming the door as hard as I could. How dare they! This was't the eighteenth century, my father couldn't make me marry him.

I walked into my room. Luna was sitting on her bed, reading. I slammed the door, which made her flinch.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I'm am going to have to be married to Marius in THREE WEEKS!" I yelled. "What the hell?!"

Luna looked away from me, looking kind of sad. "Oh. Okay."

"Oh right. You liiiiiiiike him," I teased.

"N-no I don't!"

"You so like him. I'm your twin. I won't tell anyone."

She deflated like a baloon. "I might have a little crush. But even if I did, I would have no chance. You two are engaged. And he doesn't like me. At least not like that."

"Please," I scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short. Your kind, smart, and cute. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Maybe. He probably likes you better."

 _Chrystal's POV_

I quickly looked from side to side. There was no guard in sight. Good, no one would follow me.

I ran across the gardens to the Ashbaugh residence. I didn't go in or ring the doorbell, I ran to the back of the house. Where he told me to go.

Tristan was waiting.

When he saw me his face broke out into a smile.

"Hi," I squeaked. I was confident my heart would burst out of my chest.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

I felt like I was a tomato.

"That's so cheesy," I said.

"That's true. But I'm still right."

He gve me a peck on the cheek. I was afraid I would melt.

"H-how will we approach this?" I asked.

"What?"

"What we're doing is treason. If we're caught we could be whipped or flogged."

"It won't happen. Leo wouldn't let it happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm 99 percent sure he already knows."

"What?!"

He paused. "When you were in the hospital. He guessed that i had a crush on you. He was right."

"Oh."

Tristan grabbed my hand and smiled charmingly. "That doesn't matter."

"But. . ."

"Lets not worry about the furture. Worrying makes you suffer twice."

I giggled. He pulled me in for a kiss.

"I have to go. My maids have to dress me for dinner," I said, making a face.

"See you then."

I ran back to the palace, looking over my shoulder to give the guy I liked a small smile.

 **How'd you like the chapter?**


	51. Not Just A Facade

**A/N Hi! I am so so so so so so so so sorry about not updating. If you read Once Upon A Blue Moon you know that I've been on vacation. I am back (but school starts next week).**

 **ImaginationStories: TRYSTAL! I'm glad you think so!**

 **Booklovin'03: Yup! They gotta hurry. Ooh, hashtag.**

 **Cbear88: Thanks!**

 **Smiley: Thank you! I am, there will be a few more chapters though. You too!**

 **Dangerouslyswt: Thank you! Trystal is great! It's totally fine. Thanks for the review!  
**

_Leo's POV_

A beautiful day was about to be ruined. My dad texted me to come to his office, so I knew it wouldn't be good. I think the last time I went there was when he berated me for eliminating Courtney. That was a while ago. Who knows what he would tell me.

I knocked on the door. His butler opened it. My dad sat at his desk, scribbling furiously.

"Dad?"

He looked up. "Ahh, Leo. Sit down."

I sat. My dad returned to his writing. I noticed he looked tired. He had bags under his eyes, and seemed to have more wrinkles.

"So, Leo. I trust you have read the news?" he asked.

"I have."

"So you know about the recent rebel attacks in Belcourt and Sumner."

"Yes. Have you called me here to talk about how to fix the damage?"

"No, something is more relevant currently. Your Selection."

I felt anger rising up inside of me. "Dad, people could be dying-"

"You have no need to worry, that's already being taken care of. Now, it's been a long time since you have eliminated someone. Courtney was obviously a grave mistake, but that's not the point."

"I would suggest you do a elimination soon. Or maybe something like the tournament. The rebel attacks have already gotten in the papers. Our people may start thinking that our country is out of control. That would not be good. We must remind them that everything is going well."

"But-"

"Do not interrupt me!" he snapped. I flinched. He took a deep breath and kept on talking.

"I have a few suggestions like I did for the Elite. You cannot keep Rose. She is a eight. I still don't understand why you've kept her this long, but she must go. Also, Rae, Arianna, and Mer are sixes. They are nice girls, but must go."

I finally lost it.

"Dad, Rae, Mer, Ari, and Rose are all nice people! I like all three of them, and I'm not going to eliminate them yet. I won't use the eliminations as cover-ups! The country deserves to know what's going on! Plus, I'm not going to eliminate a Selected just because of their caste! That's discrimination!"

"Leo, you do not get our situation! You must eliminate those girls. It's what's right."

"No," I growled. "It isn't."

I left the room, the butler closing the door before I could slam it.

I paced the hall, hands clenching and unclenching. I turned around, and with a defiant yell I kicked the wall. All it gave me was a scuffed shoe, but it did help me let out some steam.

I remembered it was almost lunchtime when I was called to my father's office, so I was most likely late for lunch. Luckily my dad's office was close to the dining hall, so it didn't take me long to get there. Unlucky I was still late.

"Where were you?" Kalliope asked.

"At dad's office."

"What did he say this time?"

I stabbed my fork into the salad. "He wants me to eliminate all the low-caste ladies."

Kalliope rolled her eyes. "Ugh. He's so annoying. Did I tell you that I'll be married in three weeks?"

I dropped my fork. "What!?"

"Yup. It's true. In three weeks I'm going to be the happy bride," she said sarcastically.

She started wolfing down steak, so I cast my glance to the Selected. They seemed to be having a good time. I noticed Vivian talking to Mer and Rae. She mentioned something, which made the two best friends laugh. I smiled, Vivian had started warming up to the other Selected.

I also noticed Cass. She had her hair down and slightly curled. Her lips were glossy, but she wore no makeup other then that She managed to look sophisticated while she was eating salad. She would say a few words to the other girls, but only when they said something to her. She still seemed mysterious. I decided that I would ask her out on a date after lunch. I had something to give her.

Lunch ended, and the ladies went to their lesson with Gwen. I decided I would send in a note asking for Cass. It said to dress in something casual and to meet me at the gates at 1:30.

When she got there she wore white pants and a navy blue shirt. She smiled when she saw me, but it didn't really meet her eyes.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey. How have you been?"

"I've been well, how are you?"

"I've been good."

I brought her to the limo. She sat, crossing her ankles. Her back was perfectly straight, and her hands were folded in her lap. She was the image of grace. It was strange though. Did she never relax?

We arrived at the place.

"This amusement park has some great rides. My family came here a couple years ago for the twins birthday."

Cass smiled. "It sounds fun."

I payed for our tickets and brought her in.

"Have you ever been to an amusement park before?" I asked.

"Once. It was a long time ago."

"Then let's start with the scrambler!"

Luckily the lines weren't super long, so it didn't take to long. The scrambler spun around, and I remembered that it was fun.

The ride started. Immediately Cass slammed into me, and I was pushed into the side of the little blue box we were in.

"Sorr-aaaah!"

It spun again, and this time I was pressed into her.

"Woooo!" I yelled.

When the ride ended she stumbled off.

"Whoa," she breathed.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling at me. "That was fun."

"I have another ride I want to show you. It's called a gravitron."

"A what?"

"You'll see."

I grabbed her hand and brought her to a UFO shaped ride. It was shaped like a circle and had dark purple and green stripes. It was currently spinning around.

"What do you do on this?"

"You go inside and stand back to this rectangle. The ride starts spinning, and because of that you get pushed on the wall. You can sit on the wall and do cool stuff like that."

"That sounds. . . interesting."

The ride stopped, and we got on. Cass looked a little bit nervous, but I could see excitement in her eyes.

We got into our places. We were next to each other, her hand barely an inch from mine.

The ride started spinning. The other people on the ride started screaming in delight. I started to try to jump on the wall. Cass looked at me weird. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to jump up the wall."

After a couple tries I finally stuck. I looked over at Cass. "Try it!"

"Okay," she said, sounding a bit apprehensive. She jumped back and started inching her way up the wall. A grin spread across her face.

"This is awesome!" she yelled. Suddenly she blinked a few times and shook her head. "I mean, this is very fun."

I gave her a weird look. This always happened. She would say something or react to something, and then realize something. Why?

Suddenly the boards we were standing up against lifted up, bringing us with them. Cass shrieked in surprise and fear, as did most of the others on the ride.

The ride ended too soon. Cass had that look on her face, the one that was unreadable. I didn't like it.

The next ride we went on was one of those funhouses. The first part was the hall of mirrors. I had always been bad at those. I walked in and promptly smacked into a mirror. Cass started to laugh, but stopped when she walked into a mirror.

"This is hard," she commented.

We finally made our way out and climbed up a net. Then we slid down a slide and landed in plastic balls up to my waist.

"Waah!" Cass yelped. She had slipped and was sinking through the plastic toys. The more she struggled, the faster she sank. It was like quicksand.

"Hold on!" I yelled, wading through the playthings. I grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. She came up gasping, like she had just been in water.

"You okay?" I asked. She nodded, smiling a little bit. Her smile was cute.

We got out by sliding down a long slide and landing on a bouncy surface. We jumped for a short time, laughing.

I think it was time for me to ask. I probably could of asked earlier, but the answer to the question may be private. I knew a good private place here.

"Do you want to go on the Ferris Wheel?" I asked.

Her smile wavered, like she got nervous for a second.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No. No, it's fine. That sounds great."

We got in line and after a few minutes entered a green booth. She sat down across from me, a small smile on her face.

"I-I have a question to ask you," I said. The Ferris Wheel started, along with the cheesy music. That made it really hard to concentrate.

"What?"

"Well, I know this is weird, but you always seem so perfect. And it seems fake. Y-you never relax. Your back is always straight, and your really graceful. Every time you get loose you seem to go back to perfection. Is that who you are, or are you faking perfection? Are you just a facade?"

She froze, staring at me like I dug up a secret. Well, that is kind of what I did. There was a long silence, which made me fidget in my seat. Did I say something wrong?

She smiled, sort of sadly. "I guess you figured it out."

"My mother taught it to me. Chin up, back straight, graceful gait. That's kind of the mantra she told. me. It's stuck in my head. She taught me that a lady should always act like a lady. I hate doing it, but I have too. My mother is very strict."

She saw how I was looking at her and quickly said, "Not like that. She doesn't abuse me or anything in that sort. She's just very strict."

I cleared my throat. "I have one more question. Could you not fake around me? I don't like it very much."

She smiled, a warm real one that made me want to smile. "Of course."

The ride ended and we got off. She grabbed my hand and ran, almost dragging me along.

"W-where are we going?"

"I'm super hungry. Can we go to the food court?" she asked, stopping so abruptly I smacked into her.

"Uh, sure. It's that way though," I said, pointing to where we just were.

"Oh," she said. And then she started to laugh, which made me laugh. We eventually pulled it back together and walked to the food court. We both got burgers.

She must have been starving, because she tore into that burger like a dinosaur that hadn't eaten for a week. When I saw her I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What?" she snapped, starting to blush.

"N-nothing," I said, gasping for breath.

"You tell me to be myself and then you laugh at me? That's not nothing."

"I'm sorry," I said, but couldn't help but smile. "It was so unexpected, I couldn't help but laugh."

She frowned, but I could see she didn't mean it. We finished our burgers, and I was about to call the limo when Cass stopped me.

"Can we go on that?" she asked, pointing to our left.

I gulped. She was pointing at The Ring Of Fire, a ride that went completely upside down. It looked terifying.

"Y-you sure?" I stammered.

"Y-yeah," she said, also stammering.

We got on the ride and strapped ourselves in. My heart was pounding in my chest. It comforted me that Cass looked a bit faint (it shouldn't have).

When the ride started, we were kind of rocking back and forth. _This isn't so bad,_ I though. I was so wrong.

When we almost went upside down, my heart leapt into my throat. Then we actually went upside down.

I shrieked like a baby. My heart was pounding. _Help me help me help me._

After what felt like an eternity, the ride stopped. We stumbled off and sat down on the grassy ground.

"I am never going on that ride again," she said.

"D-ditto."

I did call the limo, and we started walking back to the gates. Despite the last ride, I was grinning.


	52. Unexpected

**A/N Hi peoples!**

 **ImaginationStories: Ikr he is so annoying. I'm glad you found it funny!**

 **Smiley: Whoop! I love hamburgers! I'm so happy you like them!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: I actually love the gravitron! Thank you! King douche man omg XD. I hope so too. And it's totally fine. Thanks again!**

 **Booklovin'03: I love all the girls so much it's hard to eliminate them (it's not in this chapter though). Thanks so much!**

 **potatospwat: I'm so sorry!**

 **AdalaideThatFrenchGirl: OOh, France! I've never been but I hear it's great! Thanks, and I'll try to add her in more.**

 **woof: Meow.**

 _Leo's POV_

I walked in to breakfast, shoes clacking on the floor. All of the girls were eating and talking. I smiled. Vivian and Cass had loosened up, which was good. All of the Elite seemed to be friends.

Then I thought about what my father said. As much as I wanted to deny it, it was one of the nine girls could be the One.

I shook that thought out of my mind. My sisters, Tristan, Lottie, Marius, and I were going to sit with the girls this morning. I could figure out the eliminations later.

I sat down. "Good morning."

"Morning!" Brynn said, smiling at me.

I took a big bite of pancake. The sun was shining through the windows, I could tell it was going to be a great day.

"Hey ladies," I said. Everyone went quiet and looked at me. "I'm expecting most of you know the comic book superhero Wonder Women. We have actually been able to get our hands on one of the old movies, one form the year 2017. Would all of you like to see it?"

"Yeah!" Rae and Mer said at the same time.

"Sounds great," Cass and Rose said

"Sure," Chrystal and Vivian said.

"Of course!" Brynn exclaimed.

"When are we gonna go?" Elodie and Ari asked.

"After breakfast."

They all nodded. We got back to eating. I was sitting next to Lottie, and I saw her narrow her eyes at Chrystal.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't like that girl," she muttered.

"Chrystal? She's so nice though."

"I know. I just have a feeling."

She got back to shovelling food in her mouth. I quickly glanced at Tristan. He looked down at Lottie and back at me, and then widened his eyes. I got what it meant. _Help me._

"Have you ever talked to Chrystal that much?" I asked.

"Not that much."

"Maybe you're getting the wrong impression."

"I think she's nice. I just have a bad feeling."

When Lottie wasn't looking I looked up at Tristan and shrugged.

Breakfast ended quickly. The Selected went to their rooms to freshen up, and I waited in their hallway. I hadn't been here that much.

The twins, Tristan, Lottie, and Marius joined me. Tristan and Lottie were arguing about something (nothing new), but Marius was talking to Luna, who was blushing like mad.

"Kalliope."

"What?"

"Does your twin like your fiance?"

She twiddled her thumbs. "Maybe. But he isn't really my fiance. I don't even have a ring. And I'm not even really old enough to get married."

"A-and you're okay with that?"

"No."

"Oh."

The Ladies started coming out. Mer, Rae, and Elodie were chatting, so was Ari and Brynn.

"Where do we go?" Elodie asked, bouncing on her toes.

"You nine don't have to worry about directions. Just follow me!"

I led them through the palace. The movie theatre was in the basement, so we would have to go up so many stairs after the movie ended. Someone was waiting to make us a huge batch of popcorn.

I sat down between Mer and Rose. Rose was looking around a bit nervously.

"What's up?"

"I-I've never really seen a movie before. How does this work? And who's Wonder Women?"

I smiled at her. Her being oblivious was kind of cute. "We just have to wait here. And Wonder Women is a superhero with powers. In the movie."

"Oh. That sounds interesting."

The curtains started to open, and the lights dimmed. "It's starting," I whispered to Rose.

The movie was about Wonder Women saving the world (obviously). She traveled to London with Steve Trevor, to stop Ares. The fight scenes were awesome, there was romance, and humor. Overall the movie was awesome.

Then suddenly the movie stopped. I could barely see anything.

"What's going on?" I heard Chrystal say nervously.

"I'm pretty sure it's just a technical problem," I reassured her. "Nothing to worry about."

The the sirens started going of. The rebels. They were at it again.

"Well sh*t," I heard Marius say. I also heard someone slap him (most likely Kalliope).

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god," Rae whispered. I grabbed her hand.

I heard scuffling noises outside the door.

"They're coming!"

"C'mon, follow me!" I said for the second time that day.

I ran to the other exit, kicking down the door. I ran forward, pulling Rae along. We ended up next to the popcorn machine, and I could see.

Unfortunately there was someone in front of us. Who had a gun.

Before he or I could do anything, Ari ran in front of us and punched him in the face. While he was still stunned she kneed him in the . . . well. That's gotta hurt.

He collapsed on the ground. Ari dusted of her hands, the looked at us like we were nuts.

"Let's go!" she yelled.

We ran up dozens of stairs. Suddenly we ran into another rebel. He pointed and fired his gun at Chrystal. She froze.

"Get down!"

Tristan literally tackled her. They both fell on the floor, and nobody was hurt. Lottie judo flipped him and stomped on his face. I almost felt sorry for him.

We finally got to a floor with a safe room. I looked left and right. No rebels.

"It's this way!"

I led them to the safe room. After everyone was in I closed the door and locked it. Then the lights went dark for the second time in ten minutes.

"What the hell?' Kalliope said.

Then the lights went back on. But then a unfamiliar voice filled the air.

"Don't move or she dies."


	53. Not Throwing Away My Shot

**A/N Hello! Random challenge for reviewers, can you guess why I named the chapter this?**

 **Guest: Yup (hehe). Thank you so much!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Lol and thanks!**

 **potatospwat:** _ **You**_ **don't die.**

 **Smiley: They always do. Thanks! And Wonder Women is a totally awesome movie.**

 **starryworlds: Here is the new chapter!**

 **ImaginationStories: Do you mean Lottie? I'm glad you thought so! Well. . . I can't guarantee it.**

 **justanothergoldengirl: I'm glad! Thank you! And like I said earlier, I can't guarantee it.**

 _Leo's POV_

I froze. There must have been rebels in the safe room. At least one.

"Now turn around and put your hands in the air."

I slowly turned around, seeing everyone doing the same.

In front of me was a small girl with tangled brown hair and a fierce gleam in her grey eyes. She held a gun, the barrel pressed to Elodie's head. Elodie whimpered in fear.

"Now," she instructed. "Move to the middle of the room and sit with your backs touching."

We all moved to the middle of the room. We sat. Another rebel came and tied my hands together. He then tied Elodie's hands together, and the short girl shoved her to us. He did that to everyone else.

Except one.

Ari sauntered over to the other girl. She flipped her hair out of her face, twirled on her heel, and smirked cruelly at me. The shorter girl threw a gun in the air, and Ari easily caught it.

"Thanks Zinnia."

The whole room seemed to spin for a second.

 _What?_

"A-Ari? Wha-What are you doing?"

"Sorry about this," she said casually, walking around us. "But there's only one person I'm loyal to."

She pointed her gun at the other girl, Zinnia. "Her."

My whole body went numb. No. She couldn't be a rebel. She just couldn't.

 _She does know karate,_ a voice in the back of my head said. _This would explain why._

I shook my head. She couldn't be a rebel.

But there she was, standing in front of me with the rebel girl.

"W-why are you doing this?" Luna squeaked. She was pale and her bottom lip was quivering, but she managed to get the words out.

Zinnia laughed, but it was cold and empty. "We rebels are doing this for Illea. For it's citizens."

"You haven't been helping Illea!" I protested.

She paused. "That's true. We'll start helping when the my boys take the palace. Then we'll kidnap you and kill you," Zinnia said, the corners of her mouth quirking up. "I wasn't going to kill the Selected, but I guess it can't be helped now. Ari here told me that this was the only way I could get you all in one place."

I turned and glared at Ari, my shock turning into anger. "You betrayed us," I growled. I got up, running toward her. She barely flinched. The male rebel grabbed me, and shoved me back into my earlier position.

"You betrayed the citizens of Illea," Ari said sharply. "People are out there dying. The homeless are starving to death. There is violence, and you royals don't even care. As long as you stay up here in your lavish palaces, the whole world could disappear and you wouldn't even care."

"That's not true!"

"Really? Ask your father. Do you really think _he_ would care?"

I couldn't believe it, but I agreed with her.

"When I rule things will be different!" I said.

"Do you really believe that? To change thing you royals will have to do something _hard_. I wouldn't want it to be hard for your wittle heads," Zinnia said, openly mocking us. She stuck out her bottom lip.

Kalliope nudged me. I glanced at her, she winked at me. She slid something into my hand. It was warm and sleek and kind of big.

Her phone.

"Swipe left," she whispered in a voice I could barely hear. I did as she said.

"Move your thumb up a bit."

I moved my thumb.

"Up more. Now tap."

I moved my thumb and then tapped.

"You'll never get away with this," Marius said.

"Hmm, I think we will," Zinnia said, studying her nails.

"Scroll down. Mor down. Like all the way."

"Now tap."

I tapped. Kalliope smiled.

"If you wanted to stop us, why didn't you kill us right away?" Kalliope asked kind of loudly. "Why kidnap us?"

"Just killing you would be no fun," Zinnia said. "And we can't give away our plans. That would be spoilers!"

She grinned, and I realized she was kind of crazy.

"But why this safe room?" Kalliope asked even louder. "Why safe room number nine near the basement? Why tie us up and threaten to kidnap and kill us here!?"

"It's the closest to the theatre. Why are you asking? Are you stupid?" Zinnia asked.

"No. Just clever," Kalliope said with a cocky grin.

Suddenly Ari's mouth dropped open.

"Zin! She's calling someone!" she screeched.

The male rebel shoved my sister to the side and grabbed her phone. He handed it to Zinnia, who swore with words that would make a sailor blush. She threw the electronic object across the room, and I heard it break.

I suddenly realized Kalliope's plan.

"You called the head of the guard," I said, almost breathless.

My parents were always worried the twins and I would get into situations like this one. We never believed we would. They still put the head of the guard on each of our contact list. I stared at my sister, waiting for confirmation.

Kalliope nodded, a triumphant grin on her face. Suddenly Zinnia hit her over the head with the gun, which made her crumple to the floor.

"Kalliope!" Luna and I screamed. Luna grabbed her and turned her over. Kalliope's eyes were closed, her smile gone.

I heard yelling from outside the door. Zinnia and Ari swore at the same time.

"We don't have time for this!" Zinnia yelled.

I heard someone banging on the door. I could feel hope rising in me. We could be saved!

Zinnia's face turned from panic to stone-cold. She looked over at Ari. Ari looked back. They both nodded.

"Shoot him," Zinnia said.

Ari turned to me and smiled apologetically.

She grabbed her gun and aimed for me. I froze.

She pulled the trigger.


	54. Running Out Of Time

_Leo's POV_

It was like time stopped.

I could see Ari, slightly smiling. I could see the male rebel ready to die for his cause. I could see Zinnia holding her gun.

I could see my sisters. One unconscious. The other was looking at me, horrified. I could see the tears welling in her eyes.

I could see Marius next to Luna, looking at her. I could see Lottie glaring at Ari. Typical. I could see Tristan and Chrystal, holding hands. I smiled. They really were perfect for each other.

I could see Vivian looking nervous but . . . ready, in a way. Her hands were balled in fists. I'd imagine a punch from her would hurt. I was glad I had gotten to know her, she was pretty cool. Rose was ready too, her legs were tensed up. Like she was ready to run. She looked scared, but I didn't worry. She had probably dealt with things like this before.

Cass looked . . . angry. I wasn't expecting it. The look on her face was pure rage. I could understand that. I was happy I had met the real her. Elodie looked not herself. Her usual smile was gone, replaced by terror. I remembered she told me she used to live on the streets. I hoped that she could get out. She did ballet. She was strong.

Brynn looked shocked. Shocked because who could betray their friends. Who could aim and shoot a gun at a man she had dated. Mer and Rae were huddled together. They looked terrified. I hoped they got out. They didn't deserve to die.

No one here deserved to die.

But I might as well be already dead.

I braced myself for the bullet, squeezing my eyes shut.

It never came.

I heard a _thump._

I slowly opened my eyes.

Brynn was lying in front of me. Her brown eyes were open wide, and she reached for her chest.

Red spots were forming on her orange shirt.

Brynn had been shot.


	55. Stay Alive

_Leo's POV_

For one second, I couldn't think. Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything. For one second, all I felt was shock.

Then panic.

I dropped to my knees and grabbed her hand.

"No," I whispered. "No."

She smiled weakly at me. I could feel her body shaking in her efforts to breathe.

"No. You can't die. Please. Y-you can't. Not for me," I said. My hand was shaking, which made her whole arm shake as well.

I heard the door burst open, but barely acknowledged it. Brynn was dying in front of me. Tears had started to fall from her brown eyes.

"I-if I die," she said. She started to cough up blood, which stained her lips bright red.

"Shh, don't talk," I said. I could feel something hot and wet on my cheeks. Tears? Was I crying?

"I want you," she tried again. "To remember me."

"Always," I said. I brushed tears of her cheeks, which made her smile stronger. Her eyelashes started to flutter.

"No. Stay with me. Stay alive, please!" I screamed. Her grip on my hand began to loosen.

Someone knelt besides me. The head of the guard.

"You Highness, there might be a way to save her," he said.

My head snapped up. "What? What is it?"

"If we get to the hospital wing fast enough, we could save her life."

I looked back down. I could see the life leaving her fluttering eyes. Her eyes shut.

"Let's go."

I gently scooped Brynn in my arms bridal style. Her body was limp and still warm.

I quickly glanced back at the Selected and my friends. The girls looked so scared, most of them were crying. I would love to comfort them, I hated seeing them crying. But I had to go.

Tristan ran over to me.

"Don't worry about them, I'll keep them safe," he promised. I nodded.

"If any of them get hurt I'll kill you," I said. He smiled grimly.

The head of the guard picked up Kalliope and swung her over his shoulder.

"We have to go!" he yelled.

We ran. I didn't think. I barely heard the gunshots or explosions. More guards joined us along the way, shooting the rebels in our path. I thought the last rebel attacks had been bad, this one was even worse. I could see bodies of rebels and guards in the corner of my eye. I didn't focus on them though. I had to save Brynn.

It felt like hours. My breathing became labored. My legs burned. But we finally reached the hospital wing.

There were a couple people in there already. One doctor ran up to me and asked me, "Your highness, are you hurt?"

"No," I said. "Help her."

She saw Brynn in my arms and sucked in a breath. I gently placed her on a gurney and felt her pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Thank god.

Another doctor ran up the the female one. He wheeled her off into a separate room. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit me, and I collapsed into a chair.

I glanced at Kalliope. A doctor was quickly looking over her.

"Will she be okay?" I asked tiredly.

"She'll be fine. She's bleeding, but she just needs bandages," the other doctor said. He quickly wrapped some around her head, and then ran of. I moved so I could sit next to her.

The number of people in the hospital wing was quickly growing. I could smell blood, which was disgusting. I couldn't believe how the rebels could do this. How they could stomach to do this?

How could Ari do this?

The head of the guard grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the chair.

"What?!" I snapped.

"I have to get you to a safe room," he said patiently.

"I'm not going."

"You have to, Your Highness."

"One of my _sisters_ and a nearly _dead_ Selected is here!" I screamed. I took a deep breath. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I assure you, they are in safe hands-"

"Brynn was shot in _the chest_! I'm not leaving until she's okay!"

He rolled his eyes. "I have to keep you safe!"

"I don't care. You also have to listen to me, and I'm telling you to go protect the rest of my family and the Selected!"

I took a deep breath like he was about to say something, but he didn't. Instead he glared at me.

"If you get killed, I'll murder you."

I laughed without humor. He ran out, cocking his gun. I sat back down.

I must have fell asleep. I woke up because someone was shaking me. The doctor that I saw earlier.

The one that was with Brynn.

I jumped up so fast I almost hit the guy in the face. He stumbled backward.

"Is she okay?!" I asked desperately.

He cleared his throat.

"She isn't dead. She was severely injured, since the bullet his her in the chest. We had to perform surgery. She flat lined a couple times, but she'll be okay."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"But there is bad news."

My stomach plummeted.

"She's currently in a coma. We don't know when she'll wake up. We've decided to move her to Angeles City National, where she'll get better medical attention. We've already called her family, they'll be flying in tomorrow."

Silence.

"Y-you don't know when she'll wake up," I said helplessly.

"We do not. Now, forgive me Your Majesty, I have other people to treat."

He walked away. I noticed they wheeled Brynn back into the main room. I ran to her.

Her blonde hair was spread over the pillow like a halo, and a bandage was wrapped around her head. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes were shut. Her skin was a sickly pale. A blue blanket covered the rest of her body. I grabbed her hand. It was cold.

Her being in a coma was better than dead. Right?

But they don't know when she'll wake up. She could be in the coma for months.

Brynn might never wake up.

Suddenly overcome by anger, I punched the wall as hard as I could.

The rebels would pay.


	56. Aftershocks

**A/N Hi! By the way, the last two chapter names are not mine. They're from the musical Hamilton, which is amazing!**

 **ImaginationStories: Nyahahah**

 **Smiley: Yep (didn't know what to say XD).**

 **Booklovin'03: He's going to get even more angry this chapter!**

 **Random question, why do all of you like Brynn so much. Don't worry, I love her to, but why?**

 _Leo's POV_

They eventually dragged me out of the hospital wing. The head of the guard said we had to sleep in the safe room, for safety purposes.

The minute I walked in everyone bombarded me with questions.

"Is she okay?"

"Did they save her?"

"Is Brynn alive?"

I waited until everyone was silent, then I spoke.

"She's alive."

Everyone let out a breath.

"But she's in a coma. They don't know when she'll wake up."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh my god," Chrystal said.

"W-will she ever wake up?" Mer stuttered.

"I don't know," I said sadly.

We were so all exhausted, we didn't talk. We just huddled together in the corner furthest from the door to sleep. I noticed Mer still look shell-shocked, so I sat next to her. Rae had fallen asleep, so they weren't talking like they usually were.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Not really," she said. She turned to me. There were tear marks on her face. "Ari just b-betrayed us! We were friends! And she shot Brynn and now she might never wake up! How did everything go so w-wrong?"

She started to shake a little. My heart hurt.

I pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay. Brynn's strong. She'll wake up."

"I know," Mer said. "But I keep worrying."

I hugged her tighter. Eventually I saw that she had fallen asleep, so I layed her down on one of the mats they gave us. She was smiling slightly. Mer looked so peaceful.

I grabbed a mat and spread it out, then layed down on it. I couldn't sleep though. I could still hear noises from outside the door. I decided to sit up and keep watch. We probably wouldn't get attacked, but after what happened today I wasn't going to take any chances.

"Leo?"

I turned around. Luna had sat up, and was talking to me.

"Is Kalliope okay?" she whispered.

"She's fine. She has a head injury, but they say it's not that serious. She's probably waken up."

She smiled, obviously relieved.

"Do you think mom and dad are okay?" she asked.

I froze. Crap. Mom and dad. Where were they? Were they safe? They hadn't crossed my mind until then, which made me feel guilty.

I shook of the feeling. "They'll be fine. They're the King and Queen. They're probably getting a lot of protection."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

She smiled. "Thanks."

Luna layed back down and probably fell back asleep.

After a while I started to get tired. I tried to stay awake, but my eyelids were drooping. I didn't want to fall on anyone, so I layed down. I fell asleep easily this time.

I woke up to the door opening. I jumped up, still bleary-eyed. It was just a few guards.

"It's safe to come out now," they said. "We will be escorting you back to your rooms."

Everyone slowly started coming out of the room. I followed them, but a guard grabbed my arm.

"Your Highness, your father would like to speak to you in his office."

I walked up to his office, looking around in horror. There was so much destruction, so many dead.

The door was broken so I just walked in. My dad was looking out the window.

"Dad?" I asked.

He turned around. I immediately got up and hugged me. I hugged him back, obviously surprised.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

"Uh, yeah. I'm glad you're okay," I said.

He let go of me. "Are your sisters okay?"

"Yeah. Well Kalliope was injured, but she'll be okay. And," I said. "Brynn got shot."

"Brynn Ackerman?"

"Yeah. I-is mom okay?"

"She's fine. But is Lady Brynn okay?"

"S-she's in a coma. They don't know when or even if she'll wake up."

He looked sad. I'd never seen him sad. "That's terrible. Has her family been notified?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He turned around, walking toward his desk. "I've been thinking. Today your mother and I were close to death. To close. And I realized that I should treasure the time I have with those I love instead of working all the time."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"That means that after you choose your wife you will be the king. I would recommend you choose her soon, but no pressure."

That took a minute to process.

Then I realized what he was saying.

"R-right after?"

"Yes."

"B-but what if I'm not ready? I'm not that old and-"

He grabbed my shoulders, a steely look in his eye.

"You have been learning your whole life how to be King. You will be ready."

I was still shocked, but I nodded. "Okay."

"Now, I must go see my wife. Be safe."

"You too."

He walked out of the door. After a minute I walked out to. There was someone I had to see.

Soon I was standing in front of a jail cell that had an all to familiar person in it.

Ari glared at me. She looked the same as I had always saw her, but now my perspective had changed.

"What do you want?" she sneered, glaring harder than I thought possible. I glared back.

"Why did you shoot her?" I asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said. Ari was obviously mocking me.

"Why did you shoot Brynn!?" I yelled, suddenly angry. I grabbed the bars.

"If you didn't notice, I didn't point the gun at her. When I pulled the trigger I never meant the bullet to hit her! I didn't want her to risk her life to save your pathetic ass! If I hit you I wouldn't give a sh*t!" she screamed.

"Anyways, is she dead?"

"What?" I asked. I was completely disgusted. "Why do want to know? Why should I tell you!?"

"She was . . . sort of a friend. I want to know if I killed her."

There was a long silence. I didn't know if I should have told her or not.

"I'm guessing she's alive," she said, pacing in her cell. "Because if she wasn't, you would be screaming at me right now."

I glared harder.

"I see I'm right."

She smiled smugly.

"She's in a coma," I finally said. "She might never wake up."

I might of imagined it, but I thought I saw guilt in her eyes.

"Oh," she shrugged. "Well, it's better than dead."

I must have imagined it.

"You're despicable."

She grinned evilly.

* * *

 _The next morning. . ._

I was barely able to sleep.

All I could do was think. I did have to eliminate some girls. Ari was obviously out or the competition. And Brynn . . .

I decided I had to. It felt. . . necessary.

I was going the cut it to the final three.

 **Ooh, final three! There is a poll on my profile that you can vote on (if you have an account. Sorry Smiley). I hope you liked the chapter, and have a fantastic day, afternoon, or night!**


	57. What Is Love

**A/N Hey! Sorry this took so long to post and is so short. I'll do better on the next chapter! Sorry if the review shoutouts suck, my computer was glitching so it was going all weird. . .**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: It's fine. I've had so many moments where I wanted to smack characters in books. Thank you so much!**

 **ImaginationStories: Yeah (did not know what to say XD).**

 **Smiley: Ooh, if you give me descriptions I'll include those three.**

 **Wander Often - Wonder Always: Thanks so much! I love your name btw!**

 **Booklovin'03: I might do that. Thanks!**

 _Leo's POV_

I twirled the pencil in my hand. I was supposed to be studying a paper on politics. I wasn't. I couldn't get my mind of a certain group of ladies.

I had decided that I would lower it to the final three. The only problem was who were those three going to be.

I first thought of Chrystal. She was a great person, but I didn't love her. Not like Tristan did. And she knew that. The only problem with eliminating her was that she wouldn't see Tristan. He could visit her, the Ashbaughs certainly had the money. I couldn't keep her in the competition if I didn't love her.

So she was out.

The other six I wasn't sure about.

I thought of Vivian. Before I got to know her I would have eliminated her now, but I knew her know. She told me her problems and her past. She might have been drunk when she told me, but she told me all the same. She was different now. She was fiery and confident, and her smile was so bright.

I thought of Elodie. She was so humble and bubbly. I really enjoyed being around her. Elodie was kind and talented and very unique. I remembered her at the Valentine's Day Ball. That was so long ago. She was beautiful that night. And our date was so fun and awe-inspiring. I thought of her eating her chocolate cake, which made me smile.

And then Rae. Sweet kind Rae. She was so nice to everyone, and was a great friend to Mer. She was one of the most caring people I've ever met. I remembered her amazed face at the world fashion show. Her tasting the chocolates, and then raising her hand afterwards. She had blushed. It was cute.

Cass had been mysterious from the very beginning. Gorgeous and elegant, a perfect candidate for queen. She still was. But now she was different. She had shown me her real self. She was fiery and not afraid to defend herself. She was also very talented, and had such a good voice. She was also pretty daring.

And then there was Mer. She was my first date. She was so passionate about the things she cared about. Mer was so positive. She was great at sewing and designing, like Rae was. I remembered the picnic we had. It was so fun. She had gotten so excited talking about snow. Her eyes had sparkled. They still do.

Lastly Rose. The eight. She was so much different now. She had definitely gotten bigger and less malnourished, which was a good thing. When she first came here she was so thin. She appreciated the little things in life, which was nice. She was really good at drawing, which had been pretty unexpected.

All of them were so amazing. How was I supposed to choose?

 _Kalliope's POV_

The destruction in the palace was devastating. Luckily, my room hadn't been destroyed or anything. I was listening to music on my bed and Luna was reading when the servant came in.

"E-excuse me Your Highnesses, but your father wants to see Princess Kalliope," she stuttered.

I groaned. I hit the pause button on my music, pulled out my headphones, and hopped out of bed.

"What'd you think he wants now?" I asked my twin when the servant left.

"I don't know," Luna said. "Maybe it's about the rebel attack."

"No, he already talked to Leo about that. That means. . ."

I cursed.

"It's about my engagement with a certain useless paperclip," I grumbled. Luna blushed light pink.

I walked to my dad's office. Sure enough, Marius sat in one of the chairs. He grinned at me and winked. I rolled my eyes.

"Kalliope, sit down," my father said. I plopped down in the chair, crossing my legs.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The rebel attack has changed things. We had planned your wedding to be very soon, but because of that attack we have decided that we will do the wedding the same time as Leo's. Leo is going to be choosing a bride hopefully soon, so it won't be too long until you two are married," he said.

Great. I decided I would go beg Leo to take as long as he could after this.

"I also have other news."

"I am going to abdicate the throne after your brother gets married."

I almost choked on air.

"W-what?" I asked.

"After your brother chooses his bride I will give him the throne."

My brain refused to process the information. My dad had never been the type of person to give up power willingly.

"Why?"

"I want to spend more time with the people I love. The recent attack has reminded me of that."

I couldn't stop a faint smile from appearing on my face. My dad had finally understood the value of family.

"You are both dismissed."

 **I hope this isn't too cheesy. The next chapter will officially announce the final three (there might also be some Trystal. . .). Please vote if you haven't already! If your character (or one of them) has been eliminated before this chapter, and you want them to be in the epilogue, please add their future job, romantic partner, etc. If you don't I just won't include them. Thanks so much for reading!**


	58. Goodbye

**A/N Hi! The final three's in this chapter! Woop woop! Sorry if I didn't make them sad enough . . . I'm not good with emotions. And sorry that this took forever to put up. . . school sucks. I love all of the girls, so this was so hard to write!**

 **Tobi: Okay, I'll just call you Tobi then. :)**

 **ImaginationStories: Yay, no death! I'm glad you're excited!**

 **Smiley: I will!**

 **Unicute17: Thanks! I'll include her!**

 **starryworlds: Trystal! It's totally fine! I'm really conflicted too.**

 **Booklovin'03: Yay! I can't promise that . . . (evil laughter).**

 **Cbear88: I agree! Wow I'm a dork.**

* * *

Leo's POV

I took a deep breath. I was about to eliminate someone. My heart pounded in my chest. And this was going to be the easy one.

I knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock.

Chrystal opened the door. Her red hair was up in a messy bun, and she smiled when she saw me.

"Leo! Hi, did you want to see me?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. I need to tell you something," I said.

"What?"

I took another deep breath.

"I'm sorry, but I'm eliminating you."

She froze.

"You and your family will still be invited to the royal wedding. I apologize again."

Chrystal was still frozen. Then she smiled at me, which was quite surprising.

"Okay. Thanks for keeping me this long," she said. She hugged me.

"I suppose I should start packing my stuff," she said.

"Yeah. Oh, here," I gave her a slip of paper, the started walking away.

"What's this?" she called after me.

I turned around.

"Tristan's phone number."

I winked. Chrystal's face turned as red as her hair, which was cute.

Now the next girl. This was going to be hard.

I knocked on Vivian's door.

"Come in!" she yelled from inside her room.

I opened the door and came in her room. She was flopped out on her bed. Her hair was down but not tangled, and she was taking a selfie.

"Hey Leo," she said, sitting up. "What's up?

"I have an announcement," I said. I absentmindedly fiddled with the end of my shirt sleeve.

Her smile disappeared, and she broke eye contact. Somehow she knew what was coming.

"I'm eliminating you," I confessed. God, I hated those words.

'Really?" she asked, just to be sure.

"Yeah," I echoed. "I'm sorry."

She looked back at me. She smiled at me, and she almost looked normal. The deep sadness in her eyes confirmed otherwise.

"Thanks. It's been fun," she added. She still looked heartbroken.

Silence filled the room. I turned to leave, but was interrupted. I looked back at Vivian.

"Call me if you're ever at The Fae Folk. A drink between friends would be nice," she said, smiling. It was genuine, but she looked dejected. I tried to smile honestly back at her. I had never seen Vivian look this way, and it was heartbreaking.

"Of course."

I walked to the next room. I could hear classical music through the door, and I smiled wistfully. I quickly shook my head and gathered my thoughts.

I knocked on the door for the third time that day.

"Coming!"

The music stopped and the door opened. Elodie smiled brightly at me. Her hair was in a perfect bun, and she looked exhausted but cheerful. She had obviously been dancing.

"Leo! I wasn't expecting you. Come on in!" she said.

I walked in her room and shut the door.

"Do you wanna talk or something?" she asked, doing a little twirl.

"I need to tell you something," I said quickly.

"What is it?"

She looked so happy, and it made me feel terrible that I might destroy it.

"I'm eliminating you," I blurted out.

Unlike Vivian, Elodie's smile didn't disappear. It changed. It became . . . faker. The normal happy look in her eye was the thing that disappeared, and was replaced with anguish.

"O-oh. Okay," she said, trying to smile brighter. "T-that's okay."

The sight made my chest ache.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling ashamed. I had never seen Elodie sad.

"It's fine! I loved my time here," she said, sounding genuine. "C-can I get back to practicing?"

"Yeah."

I walked to the door, but stopped and looked back.

"Hey Elodie?"

She turned around, still smiling that fake smile.

"Yeah?" she asked, her voice sounding a little shaky.

I smiled at her, trying to show her that I cared. "I wish you the best of luck."

I closed the door, then let out a breath. Elodie had looked. . . just so sad. It was unnatural. It was agonizing.

I could hear classical music again.

The last one. I only had one more girl that I had to eliminate. One that I loved, but not romantically. Not romantically enough.

I knocked on Cass's door. She opened it, looking gorgeous in a nice white dress. Her hair was slightly curled.

"Leo, morning. Do you need anything or what?" she asked, flipping her hair out of her face. She grinned cheekily. It was a good look, and momentarily distracted me from what i was about to say.

"Yeah. I need to talk to you."

"Oh, okay. What for?"

I looked straight in her deep blue eyes and pushed down the urge to look away.

"I-I'm eliminating you."

The whole world stopped once more. We just stood there. Then tears sprung up in her eyes, and she broke eye contact. Guilt gripped my heart.

"I'm sorry," I said. She didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"N-no. Don't be. I mean, I did open myself up to you and all. But it's okay," she croaked. I could hear bitterness in her voice. I didn't blame her.

"Do you need-"

"I want to be alone right now. I really enjoyed it here, thanks for everything." she muttered, closing the door. I stood there for a few seconds.

I turned around and leaned on the door, mentally kicking myself. I had to do this, I kept telling myself. I had to choose a wife. The Selection had gone on long enough.

Merideth Kressin.

Raelynn Derryn.

Rose Maynard.

The final three. Now, how would i choose between them?

Chrystal's POV

I shoved one of the few shirts I had brung into my suitcase. I admit, I was sad to leave the palace. But I had never loved Leo.

The people I was sad to leave was the Selected.

And Tristan.

Just thinking about him made my heart thump. Would I ever see him again? I hoped I would. I had never felt this way about anyone else.

I pulled out the small slip of paper from my pocket. I smoothed it out, and stared at the number.

Would I do it?

I'd do it.

I pulled out my phone from my bag and typed in the number, grinning like a fool.

 **Chrystal: Hey, it's Chrystal.**

I laid down on my bed staring at my phone. A few seconds passed. I was about to go back to packing when my phone buzzed. I turned my head so fast my neck nearly snapped.

 **Tristan: Hi! How'd you get my number?**

I grinned again, and quickly texted him back.

 **Chrystal: Leo gave it to me.**

 **Tristan: . . .**

 **Chrystal: XD**

 **Tristan: I'm going to have to talk to him. I'm glad I can text u tho.**

 **Chrystal: Me 2!**

I had to tell him that I was going to go back to Clermont. But not through text. Big news through text sucks.

 **Chrystal: Can u meet me in my room?**

 **Tristan: Ofc. What for?**

 **Chrystal: I need to tell you something.**

 **Tristan: I'm on my way.**

I put away my phone and started packing again. About five minutes later there was a knock on my door. I jumped up and ran to open it. Tristan stood there.

"Hey. What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Come in," I said.

He walked in, frowning slightly.

"Why are you all packed . . . oh," he realized.

"You're leaving."

"Yeah. Leo eliminated me. It makes sense, since we have no feelings for each other," I admitted.

"That does make sense."

There was an awkward silence, and I stared at my feet. I glanced upward, to see that he was smiling at me. I could tell that it was genuine.

"This means that we can be together. We can give us a shot," he said, beaming. He looked so happy, which made a smile spread across my face.

"Yeah. I do live across Illea though, that might be a problem," I pointed out.

He frowned. "Right. Well, we'll be in touch. And I'll visit my beautiful girlfriend."

"But what if-"

"No what ifs," he said, taking my hands in his warm ones. "Chrystal, I've never felt this way around anyone else. I was meant to be yours."

A smile spread across my face. "Yeah. It's the same for me."

* * *

 **Omg is this too cheesy? It was kind of making me cringe as I wrote it, but also smile a little. If your character was eliminated, I apologize. Again, please pm or review to tell me what will happen in later life. On the other hand, I hope you like the final three! Also, I'm sorry if I portrayed your characters wrong. Thanks for reading!**


	59. All The (Not) Single Ladies

**A/N Hi! Two chapter in two days! I'm actually really proud of this chapter, so I really hope you like it!**

 **Cbear88: Thanks!**

 **ImaginationStories: CUTENESS. I didn't think about the Vivian thing. I love Elodie so much. Writing that part broke me. Rose and Rae are great. I'm glad you like them!**

 **Tobi: Thanks! I love Cass, eliminating her was hard. Okay (take your time)! Trystal! Rambling is okay, I do it legit all the time.**

 **Smiley: She will! #Trystal4ever. And it will!**

 **Booklovin'03: They are adorable!**

 **Just an announcement, Brynn is out. They don't know if she'll wake up in a day or a thousand.**

Mer's POV

I flopped on my bed, grinning like an idiot. I was in the final three! I never expected to get this far. Leo had told me about an hour ago, and I still felt like squealing!

Rae was also staying! That was awesome. I mean, we would still have to compete, but we would still be friends. Rose was also super nice, maybe a little quiet, but nice.

Leo had told me that this Friday he was going to announce the One on the Report. The fact made my heart pound a little faster.

I definitely had deep feeling for Leo. When I thought his name it made flames leap up in my stomach. He was handsome, kind, funny. . . the list went on.

I loved him.

And I wanted to be picked. I wanted to be the One.

But then Rae and Rose would be sad. Actually, I wasn't sure about Rose. I didn't know her that well. But definitely Rae.

I tried to ignore the newly formed nervous knot in my stomach. I grabbed my sketchbook and pencil. Even if I didn't get picked, I now could do what I've always wanted to do. Design clothes! Being a seamstress was as close as I could get to that dream when I was a six. But now I was a two (or a three, it's complicated).

I had to make a gown for the announcement. I designed a lot of the clothes I wore, but my maids made them most of the time. I wanted to make this one myself.

It had to be big. It had to be extravagant. It had to be fancy. I started drawing a huge poofy skirt that had ruffles. I started smiling again. This was going to be a beautiful dress!

I grabbed a radio I borrowed and started playing some music. I hummed along to the music as I sketched out the dress. I wondered what color it should be. I looked nice in pink and white. I grabbed some colored pencils.

I finished pretty quickly. I should probably start making it, it was pretty big. I picked up my sketchbook and ran out of my room. I had to get to the sewing studio.

I hurried down the stairs. I noticed Lottie strolling through the hall.

"Hi Lottie!" I yelled, waving. She glanced in my direction, smiled, and waved back.

Suddenly I felt myself miss a step. I scrambled to grab the railing, but I could get a good grip, and I fell forward.

"Waaaa!" I screamed, bracing myself for the impact. Instead of the hard floor, I felt myself falling into something. . . soft. And warm. And human.

Leo grinned at me.

"L-Leo!" I squeaked. I felt my face turning red.

"Hey Mer," he said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Thanks for saving me."

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, the sewing studio! I made a dress for Friday."

Curiosity sparkled in Leo's hazel eyes. "Can I see it?"

I held my sketchbook close to my chest. "Nope! It's a surprise."

"Fine. Well, good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing you in it, you're going to look amazing," he said. My face flushed.

"Thanks. S-see you later!" I stammered. We parted ways.

I finally got to the sewing studio. There were two maids in there already. Once they saw me, they jumped up and curtseyed.

"Lady Merideth," they said at the same time.

"Please, it's Mer. And you can get back to work."

"W-what are you down here for?" one asked.

"Oh, I'm going to sew this!" I said, showing them the picture of the dress. .

"Do you need our help?"

"No, I got it!"

I grabbed some fabrics and began to sew, humming the song from earlier.

Rae's POV

I walked down the hall, smiling. I was so glad I was in the final three! I hoped Mer was as well, I had forgotten to ask Leo who were the other two. I knew how much Mer liked Leo.

I got to her door, and I knocked first. There was no answer.

"Mer!? You in there?" I asked. After a few minutes, I turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Mer wasn't in there. Her stuff wasn't packed, so that hopefully meant she was staying. I wondered where my best friend was.

I wandered down the hall, trying to think of something to do. I could draw something, like a gown. I should probably start designing a dress for Friday, which was when Leo was going to announce the One. Nervous butterflies started flying in my stomach just at the thought of it.

I started to go down to the sewing studio. If Mer was anywhere, she'd be there. On the way down I saw Leo.

"Rae, hi! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," he said. I smiled.

"Me neither! It's great to see you though," I said. "Hey, I forgot to ask you, who are the other two in the final three?"

"Oh, Mer and Rose."

My grin got wider. My best friend didn't have to leave. And I liked Rose.

I was a little worried about the competing thing. But not to much. I didn't think Mer was the jealous kind of person.

"Mer's in the sewing studio, if you want to see her. She's working on her dress for Friday."

"Great, I was headed in that direction. Anyways, it was great to see you!" I added.

"Ditto!"

I skipped down the stairs, and walked into the sewing studio. Mer had shown it to me a couple days after Leo showed it to her, and we both loved it.

"Rae!" Mer yelled from across the room.

"Hi!" I said, running over the the blonde. "Congrats on being in the final three!"

"You too," she giggled. "Hey, this is my design for Friday's dress. Do you like it?"

She showed the gown to me.

"This is amazing!" I marveled. "I think that this should be a bit fogged, not clear."

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Hey, we should design your's! And maybe Rose's, if she's okay with it."

"Ooh, sounds fun!"

I sat down next to her, and we started planning out my dress.

"It should be purple," Mer advised. "You look great in purple."

"True," I said. "But a light purple. Like lilac or lavender."

"We should add white!"

I quickly started sketching it out.

"I don't want it to be a gown. I don't want to copy you," I decided.

"Aww, thanks!"

For a moment all we could hear was the pencil scratching the paper.

"Mer?"

"What?"

"No matter who gets picked. . . we'll still be friends. Right?" I asked.

"Of course! Were always going to be a team!"

I grinned. "Great! Now, would gold look great with this?"

"It would! As jewelry, maybe?"

"Oh yeah!"

It was great to have a friend.

Rose's POV

I brushed the paint brush across the canvas, making a streak of blue. I was finally done painting the garden. I put down the brush and pulled my hair out of it's ponytail. I grinned, I loved how this painting turned out.

I've been grinning a lot lately. Especially because I was in the final three. It was sad to see the other girls go, I was friends with them. But it was nice to stay in the palace. If I had to leave, I wasn't sure where I'd go.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. Today was a beautiful day, and I was going to enjoy it.

I got up to take a walk. I had been sitting for a while now, it was good to stretch out my muscles. I walked through the gardens, admiring all the wildlife. I loved to be outside.

I glanced at a tree. It was tall, with huge branches. I had never climbed a tree before. It seemed like a good time to try.

I grabbed some handholds and started to pull myself up. I climbed to the first branch, which wasn't to far of the ground. I noticed I felt tired, and frowned. I needed to work out more.

I climbed to the next branch, and the next. I stopped at about the fifth branch. Or was it sith? It didn't matter. I got a great view of the gardens and the palace. I sighed happily.

I noticed a head of red hair down on the ground. I squinted my eyes. Was that Chrystal? I thought most of the girls had left already.

I noticed Tristan was next to her. I had never really talked to him, but he seemed like a nice guy.

Then I noticed the were holding hands.

What?

I leaned forward. They were both laughing. Tristan slung one arm over Chrystal's shoulder, and kissed her forehead.

They were dating.

They walked to where I couldn't see them, so I leaned forward a bit more.

Then I realized I was slipping of the branch.

I tried to scoot back onto the branch, but I was already too far of. I turned around in the air and tried to grab the branch. Thankfully it worked. I grabbed the branch with the other hand, and pulled myself up. My heart was beating fast, and I was taking deep breaths.

"Rose!"

I looked down and saw Leo beneath me. He looked scared. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah!" I yelled. I quickly climbed down the tree, and he engulfed me in a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay, I was scared" he said.

"Yeah, me too," I said.

He picked up something from the ground, and held them out to me. "I believe these are yours."

It was my painting and paintbrushes. I took them. "Thanks!"

I was going to go back to my room when he grabbed my wrist. "Your hand's all scraped up."

I frowned and looked at it. He was right, it was kind of bloody. "It's fine, I'll get it checked out later."

He stubbornly pulled me along. "Come on, we're going to the hospital wing."

We walked together in silence. Suddenly I remembered what I saw when I was in the tree. Or who I saw.

"Tristan and Chrystal," I blurted out, then covered my mouth.

Leo looked at me weirdly. "What?"

"Tristan and Chrystal. I think they're together," I mumbled.

Surprisingly, he didn't look even fazed. "Oh yeah. They're cute, aren't they?"

"You knew?"

"Yeah. It wasn't that subtle."

He smiled at me, and it made me feel . . . something. Something sweet. Something new.

Luna's POV

My face flushed, and I shoved my face into my pillow. I tried to stop thinking about him, but I failed. All I could think about was his smile, his voice, his hair, his eyes, the way he said my name. . .

All I could think of was Marius. And I _hated it_.

I shook my head. He was engaged. To my twin sister. What was I thinking?

He didn't decide to be Kalliope's future husband, a voice in my head said. You still may have a chance.

No. No, I didn't.

I hadn't even gone out with anyone before. I hardly ever talked to boys, unless they were my brother or Tristan. I had talked to some other high-ranking men from different countries, but only because I was forced to. Kalliope had gone out with a guard. Kalliope was gorgeous and social and amazing, and I just _wasn't_.

I had been thinking that for the past hour. He'd never choose me. Not in a million years. But I still couldn't get him out of my mind.

Kalliope looked at me weirdly. "Hey, what's up? You look down."

"Nothing."

She gave me a look. "I'm your twin. We have, like, a psychic connection. What is going on?"

I thought his name again, and felt my face get hot.

"Oh, it's about your crush," she said in a sing-song voice.

I nodded, not meeting her eye.

She sighed, laying back down on her bed. "God, I wish dad just engaged you to him. You two have major things for each other."

For a second I was about to agree, then I paused.

She said each other.

"M-Marius doesn't like me!" I sputtered.

She gave me another look. "Please. He caught you during the rebel attack months ago, he flirts with you, and he totally thinks you're cute."

"He flirts with everyone!"

"Touche," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I think he doesn't deserve you. Scratch that, that insipid douchebag definitely doesn't deserve you. But you're crushing hard, and I want you to be happy. And he sooo likes you back."

I turned over to face the ceiling. "He's _engaged_. To _you_. It's hopeless."

She crossed the room and punched my arm. "Be positive. I'm hoping somehow I can get dad or Leo to destroy the engagement."

"Leo?"

"Well yeah. Remember, he's going to become king when he marries. Then he'll have to power. And if he doesn't destroy the engagement, I will destroy him," she announced. I laughed.

 **So that's it! I was wondering, would you people like a happily ever after fic? Please review and tell me! Thanks for reading!**


	60. Realizations

**A/N Hey people! There is a poll in my profile about who will the One be! Please vote if you haven't already (god I make polls for everything XD).**

 **ImaginationStories: I'm glad you like the title! That's true, but I don't want to break your hearts again. Trystal is magnificent.**

 **sadpotato: Sorry about that. . .**

 **Cbear88: Thanks, I love them too!**

 **starryworlds: I love Mer so much. Take your time! Trystal is the bomb. Thanks so much!**

 **Booklovin'03: Thanks! Brynn is officially out by the way. Sorry :(**

 **Tobi: They are! You make a good point, Rose has had a lot of character development. Perhaps. . . you shall see in a few chapters. A happily ever after fic would just have stories of what would happen after the Selection.**

 _Marius's POV_

I frowned. The King of Illea was taking the marriage thing seriously. I heard from my butler that Leo was going to announce the One on Friday, so about three days from now. Then. . . the wedding would be after that.

Don't get me wrong, Kalliope's hot. But she hates me, and I'm pretty sure that, unlike most girls, she would rather stab me then kiss me. And I didn't want to marry just yet. I was still young.

I strolled down the hall, winking at the two maids who passed by. They giggled and waved. I walked up a flight of stairs to the hallway where the Illean royals lived. I leaned against the wall and tried to blend in. I saw Kalliope leave the room without her twin sister. Good.

I casually crossed the hall to stand next to their door. About a couple minutes later the door opened and Luna walked out.

"Hey, nice day isn't it?" I asked.

It looked like she jumped a mile high.

"M-M-Marius! W-what are you doing here?" she stammered. Her cheeks had already acquired a pink tone, like a sunset.

"I'm walking you to lunch. What else would I be doing?" I answered.

"O-oh."

I grabbed her hand and started pulling her along. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

"S-sorry," she said. Luna looked down and fiddled with the white fabric of her dress. Her hair was down, and she wasn't wearing any makeup.

"There's no need. You look gorgeous today!" I said, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"R-really? Doesn't it look a little plain," she admitted.

"Maybe it does. You still look amazing!"

I glanced at the nervous girl. Luna was . . . strange. Not her, but how she made me feel. I couldn't really describe it, but it made me feel warm inside. I wanted to get to know her and spend time with her. It was a new feeling, but kind of nice. I wasn't sure if I liked it yet.

She glanced up at me and saw that I was staring. She immediately looked away and to the floor again. Her cheeks were completely red now.

"You look cute when you blush," I mentioned. "Your face looks like a sunset."

"Thanks," she said. I noticed she smiled a little, but it disappeared.

"Aren't sunsets pretty?"

"Um, yeah. If you go on the roof of the palace, you can see them. It's a nice spot."

"Cool. We should go there sometime."

"Yeah, that sounds fun," she decided, still fiddling with her dress.

There was a pause.

"W-wait, did you say we?!" she sputtered, realizing what I had said.

"Yeah."

"Wouldn't you rather take Kalliope? Or someone else?"

"No. That's why I asked you."

"But she's your fiancee! And more interesting and social and funny and-"

"Hey, chill. I asked you. Plus you're totally interesting. I like talking to you," I said. I let go of her hand and slung that arm around her shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, I guess I'll come," she said. She looked up shyly and met my eye for probably the first time that whole day.

And she smiled.

And with her simple white dress and golden eyes, she looked like an angel. I'm not kidding, she looked stunning. She must have noticed how stunned i was, because she broke eye contact.

"W-what is it?" she stuttered.

"Oh, nothing! You look dazzling when you smile, that's all," I said. "Like an angel on earth."

Her face got even redder, but her smile only grew.

"I'll see you at 6:30 on the roof!" I confirmed, walking to my usual seat.

I watched her walk to her usual seat next to her twin, and she began to excitly talk to Kalliope about something. That's when I realized.

That feeling. That feeling I got when I thought about Luna.

It was love.

I was falling in love with Luna.

 _Kalliope's POV_

I threw open the door to my dad's office. He was sitting there filling out paperwork, but looked up when he saw me.

"Kalliope?" he asked. "It's nice to see you, but what are you doing here? I'm working."

"I don't want to get married to Marius," I announced.

My dad just sighed. "Kalliope, you know I can't call the engagement of. We need to have a good relationship with France. Things have been touchy for a while now. We need this."

I walked right up to the edge of his desk. "Why so soon! I'm still seventeen!"

"You and Luna will be eighteen in about a month. You'll be old enough then. And we need the alliance soon, you don't want war do you?"

"Why not Luna? Why me?"

"You know Prince Marius's ways better than almost anyone. You can handle him. Luna might not be able to. You know she's shy," he answered. He started to write again.

I groaned.

"Have you even come to meals recently!?"

"Yes, I was there at breakfast. Why?"

"Do you even notice how they act around each other?"

"Not really. How do they act?"

He put down his pen and actually looked at me.

"Well, for instance, to day they walked into lunch. Together."

"And?"

"He had his arm around her shoulders."

Suddenly he realized it.

"Marius is flirting with Luna," he said slowly. He looked like he didn't believe it.

"They have a date," I pointed out.

"What?"

"I said they have-"

"Luna can't go on a date with Marius! He's your fiance!" he exclaimed, standing up.

"Yeah, and how I love him so so much," I said sarcastically.

"Respect your father," he said, shooting me a look. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"Luna's going to have her heart broken. She's never had a boyfriend. You have to stop her," he said.

"What! No!"

"Excuse me?"

"Luna has the biggest crush on that douchebag. You did not see how happy she was after he asked her. I'm not going to tell her she can't go! I'll break her heart!" I yelled.

"Better you then Marius," he said.

"Maybe if you just engage her to Marius. . ." I offered, studying my nails.

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

He took a deep breath. "Kalliope, if I do that there could be war! Don't you understand?!"

"There wouldn't be war if you just gave the Queen a mother freaking apology. Then just say that you think your daughter is to young to marry and ask if you can wait a few years. I'm sure she'll understand!"

There was silence for a couple second.

". . . I'll think about it."

Finally he was doing something good for once.

"Thanks dad."

"I still haven't decided. Now I have to do work, so could you be a dear and leave me to focus?"

I walked out the door and shut it, smirking.

 _Leo's POV_

I grinned, excited and nervous at the same time. Tomorrow the ladies's family would be coming to the palace, and stay until after I choose my bride. I was looking forward to meeting them, but I was also really nervous.

I walked down to dinner, grinning. I hoped they would like the news.

When I got there everyone was already seated, including my parents. I noticed that Marius and Luna weren't there.

"Where's Luna?" I asked Kalliope.

"She's on a date," she said casually. I fumbled with my fork.

"She's what!?" I whisper-yelled.

"Luna is on a date. With my hopefully-not fiance," she answered.

I stared at her, my eyes wide.

"Don't look at me like that. You look stupid," she joked, flicking my forehead.

I blinked a few times, then shook my head.

"Text me what she said happened, okay?" I demanded.

"Silly Leo, you think I wouldn't?"

The maids brought out the food, and before we started eating I stood up. All eyes immediately turned to me.

"I have an announcement," I began. "Tomorrow all of your families will be coming so that on Friday they can witness the choosing of the One. That is all I wished to say."

I sat back down and started eating my lasagna. I noticed the three Selected that were left were smiling.

Before I took another bite I tapped Rose on the shoulder. She turned to me.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you were okay," I said. "Considering we don't know who your family is. I thought you may be upset."

Luckily, Rose grinned. "Don't worry, I'm okay with it. I was expecting this anyway. Thanks for asking. It means a lot."

I smiled back at her. "Anytime."

She got back to eating her food. Thank god she wasn't upset.

I glanced at the other two Selected, Mer and Rae. They both looked really happy.

"I expect you're looking forward to seeing your family again," I said.

"Yeah! It's great here, but I haven't seen my parents in a while. I miss them, and my aunt and brother," Mer said excitedly. She looked cute when she was happy.

"Oh, I forgot you have a brother. His name is Ethan, right?"

"Yeah! His letters says he misses me, so it's great that I can see him again. Thanks for inviting them here!" she gushed.

"It was no problem, I look forward to meeting them."

 **Next chapter will have the family meeting bit, and then. . . the choosing! Dun dun dun! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out soon, thanks for reading!**


	61. The Importance of Family

**A/N Hey there! Sorry this took so long to get up, I was really busy with Homework, and Halloween was yesterday, so I couldn't write.  
**

 **ImaginationStories: THEY LIIIIKE EACH OTHER! She will be announced next chapter!**

 **sadpotato: . . . sorry.**

 **Tobi: Lol XD. Woop woop!**

 **Smiley: I might do it then! It's totally fine, thanks!**

 _Leo's POV_

I sat in the waiting room of the airport with the Selected. Mer and Rae were talking, and so were Rose and Lottie. Kalliope was animatedly describing something to Luna, and Luna's hand was in Marius's. Tristan was just staring into empty space.

Suddenly I heard people coming toward us. I jumped up, and the Ladies heads turned. I saw a group of people coming out of the tunnel you come out of after you get out of the airplane.

The first group was two people. The women had blonde hair and green eyes. She was looking around almost frantically. The male looked exactly like Rae. They had the same hair color, eye color, face shape, everything. They had to be Rae's parents.

"Raelynn!" the women (probably Rae's mom) yelled. Rae jumped up, ran to them, and hugged them. I smiled. They were so close.

The second group came it. The women looked a lot like Mer, their hair color was the same. The man's hair was darker then the two females, but his facial shape was similar. He was holding hands with a small boy. The boy's hair was a shade darker than Mer's, he was really adorable.

The little boy, Ethan, ran over to Mer and hugged her legs. She knelt down and hugged him back.

"I missed you," he said.

"Me too," she agreed, smiling widely. She looked really pretty.

Her parents went over to hug their children.

I felt a tap on the shoulder. Rae was behind me with her parents. Her mother was still hugging her.

"These are my parents!" she exclaimed excitedly. Her father bowed and her mother curtseyed.

"Please, there's no need," I said. I bowed slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your daughter is very kind."

"Thank you," Mr. Derryn said. "It's an honor to meet you Your Highness."

"Please, call me Leo."

I shook hands with him, and then Mrs. Derryn.

"Now," Mrs. Derryn said, turning back to her daughter. "Are you liking it here at the palace?"

The family started talking to each other, so I went to talk to the Kressins. Mer noticed me walking over, and she lit up.

"Mom, dad! This is Leo!" Mer said, running toward me. She motioned for them to come over, and they did.

They did exactly what Rae's parents did, bowed and curtseyed. "Your Highness."

"Please, call me Leo. It's great to finally meet you."

"Thanks for making my daughter feel so at home," Mrs. Kressin said. She smiled.

"It's no problem."

Someone tugged on my pant leg. I looked down to see Ethan looking up at me with the cutest green eyes. They looked exactly like Mer's.

"Are you Mer's boyfriend?" he asked solemnly. He pronounced, "boyfriend," like "boyfwiend." He was really adorable.  
"Ethan!" Mrs. Kressin scolded.

"No, it's totally fine," I said, chuckling. I knelt down to his level and looked straight in his eyes.

"Yeah, I am. Sort of," I answered.

He did nothing for a few seconds, then tilted his head up so it was like he was looking down on me. He scowled, trying to look intimidating. He just looked cute.

"You better not hurt my big sis!" he squeaked definitely. I had the sudden urge to hug him.

"I won't," I told him. I stood up and ruffled his blonde hair. He grinned goofily at me.

I looked around, making sure no one else was coming out of the tunnel. I noticed Rae's parents wave Rose over to them. Mrs. Derryn hugged her, and Rose pretty much melted into it. I grinned. She was being included.

I stood up on a chair and cleared my throat as loudly as I could. Everyone looked up at me.

"Excuse me, but we should probably start heading out. It's almost lunch, and if we stay any later we might be late," I said. "Oh, and there's going to be a lot of reporters and cameras outside. You probably shouldn't answer any of their questions. Reporters have a way of turning your words around."

Everyone nodded. I started walking out to the exit, and everyone followed me. I pushed the doors open, revealing the sight of lots of reporters and other people. We were able to push our way through them and to the car.

We got to the palace fairly quickly. I led the families to the dining hall. They're mouth's were in the shape of an O the whole time. I remembered both the Kressins and the Derryns were sixes. They probably hadn't seen a place like the palace before.

We all sat down, and the waiters brought the food. We all dug in.

After a few minutes, I asked the two families, "Have you enjoyed hearing about The Selection for the past few months?"

"It's been hard not having Raelynn at home for such a long time," Mrs. Derryn said, giving her daughter a little squeeze. "But she's always so happy when we see her on the Report and in pictures. So yes, it's been nice."

"It has," Mrs. Kressin added. "But some of the other ladies were particularly awful."

She wrinkled her nose a bit, and then continued on eating.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's Miss Calastroro and Miss Chancler. Honestly, I could go on and on about how wonderful they are," she said with an eye roll, sarcasm dripping from her voice like honey.

I tried to stifle a laugh, but I couldn't hold it in when Lottie snorted, which made water shoot out of her nose. I burst out laughing, and so did Kalliope, Tristan, and Marius. Luna, Rae, Mer, and Rose were all giggling.

I really liked the families already.

 _Lottie's POV_

Lunch was awesome. Mrs. Kressin was really cool, and not what I was expecting.

I strolled through the gardens towards my house, not really sure what to do. I probably should have gone to hang out with the twins, but it's too late for that now.

I opened the door and walked in. My parents weren't here, they never were. Tristan was sitting on the couch, texting on his phone. He was grinning like an idiot, and hadn't noticed me yet.

"Who're you texting?" I asked him, sitting down next to him.

'Whoa!" he shouted. Once he saw me, he immediately covered up his phone and scooched away from me.

"No one important," he tried to say casually. He failed epically.

I raised one eyebrow and grinned mischievously.

"Is it a _girl_?" I teased. "Does my older brother have a _significant other_?"

His face turned pink, which I had barely seen before.

"W-wouldn't you like to know?"

I leaned closer to him, and he leaned backward. He was almost falling off the couch.

"I wonder," I began, standing up. "If it's a young woman with red hair. Light green eyes maybe?"

I slowly walked up to my older brother, who's face had turned the shade of a tomato.

"Is her name," I paused for dramatic effect. "Chrystal?"

His face got redder, but he still had that stubborn look in his eyes.

"Can you prove it?" he said.

My smile got wider.

"Yes. Yes I can."

I lunged for Tristan's phone. He rolled off the couch, and my momentum made me stumble and faceplant into the couch. He scrambled to get up and ran towards the kitchen.

"I'll get you for that!" I yelled, chasing after him.

I caught up with him, and he threw a fork at me. I caught it with one hand and threw it at the ceiling. It stuck in the ceiling, something my parents would punish me for later. I didn't give it much thought.

I chased him up the stairs, and grabbed him by the back of his suit. I pulled him down, and he stumbled backward. He grabbed the window sill to steady himself, and while he was doing that I kicked his other arm (the one which was holding his phone).

He cursed, and dropped his phone. I caught it, flashed him a mischievous smile, and ran to my room.

I slammed the door and locked it. I heard banging on the other side of it.

"Lottie!"

I grinned evilly. I was about to have some fun.

 **That's the chapter! Sorry it's a bit short. The next one might take some time to put up, since I want to make it really really really good. Anyways, thanks for reading!**


	62. She's The One

**A/N Hi! THE ONE IS HERE. I really hope you like the chapter, the dress descriptions probably suck. The pictures are on Pinterest if you want know what they really look like.**

 **Booklovin'03: I'm happy you think so! She is . . . not here. Thank you!**

 **ImaginationStories: THEY WERE! I do feel bad for her. You really love those two characters don't you?**

 **Smiley: He really his! Well the final three are already here, but the One isn't yet!**

 **Tobi: They are! I don't have any siblings. I won't worry about it too much. Thanks!**

 **happypotato: Lol :D.**

 **So, here's the chapter! I hope you like it!**

* * *

 _Leo's POV_

I tapped nervously on my knee. The Report was going to start in ten minutes, exactly. My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I cursed myself, I should have brought something to fidget with. My eyes darted from right to left quickly.

My nervousness must have shown on my face, because Kalliope rolled her eyes when she glanced my way. She grabbed my wrist, and I stopped tapping on my leg.

"Bro, chill. You're going to do amazing, like you always do. There's no need to be nervous," she said, like what I was about to do was the simplest thing in the world.

"Kalliope, I'm about to choose my wife. The person who will most likely bear my children, if we have any. This is not something to joke about," I muttered, glaring at her.

She sighed dramatically. "Okay, maybe it's a bit serious. But you'll still do great. Remember, you always do great in anything involving a crowd."

"I'm not worrying about the thousands of people are watching this," I snapped. "I'm worrying that I'll make the wrong choice. What if she doesn't want to be my wife? What if she agrees but isn't in love with me? I don't want to-"

"Shush," Kalliope interrupted, an irritated look in her grass green eyes. "Any girl in the country would sell their soul to Satan to marry you. Plus, I'm pretty sure that all the Selected want to be your wife. Why would they be here if they didn't?"

"I guess you're right," I said uneasily.

She grinned in satisfaction. "I always am. Anyways, just try to relax. It'll all go perfectly. Just you wait."

I took a deep breath, which helped. All I had to think of was that it would all go fine. I had no need to be nervous. No need to worry.

Suddenly, I saw everyone stop. They dropped whatever was in their hands, like their muscles stopped working. They looked over at the door, their eyes wider the dinner plates. Huh. That was weird.

Kalliope nudged me, and when I turned to look at her she pointed toward to the entrance. I could feel my jaw drop, and that nervousness fire up again.

The ladies had entered the room.

And they looked stunning.

Amazing, beautiful, gorgeous. I could barely remember my own name, or speak a word. It felt like I had been struck by lightning.

Rae had her hair down and slightly curled. It fell in waves, and framed her face. Her eye makeup was a glittery bronze, which brought out her pretty dark brown eyes. Her cheeks were pink, either from blush or excitement. Rae's lips were glossy and pink, and the corners of her mouth were upturned into a smile. Her dress was white and purple, it looked like she had a lavender dress on and wrapped a white fabric around it. There was a cute purple and white bow above her hip, and a bronze medallion adorned it. White ribbons hooked around Rae's thin neck and kept the dress from falling apart. She wore a bronze necklace with a pendant like the one on the bow, and had on white gloves. Her dress reached the floor, but when she moved I could see she was wearing lilac flats. When she smiled, she looked so innocent, so sweet, yet so mature.

Mer was wearing something much different than what she usually wore, but it looked good. Scratch that, it looked breathtaking. Her long blonde hair was pinned on top of her head by a heavy-looking pink, gold, and white headpiece. Her lips and cheeks were pink, her green eyes sparkling. Mer's skirt was huge, but not over the top. It was the same pink as her lips, and ruffled. Over the pink there was see-through fabric, which had little pink rosettes on it. As my eyes traveled upward, the pink turned to white satin that hugged her abdomen. The white turned to gold that supported her chest. The gown was sleeveless, but Mer wore a pink choker that looked like it was connected to the dress. Thin gold chains wrapped around her thin arms, and pink ribbons wrapped around her wrists. Golden earrings dangled from her ears. Mer's back was ramrod straight, and she carried herself differently. Normally she looked cute, and there was nothing wrong with that. Tonight she looked . . . elegant. She looked older than she actually was. She looked like a queen.

Rose came in last. She looked just as amazing as the others. Her brown hair was down, put part of it was wrapped around her head like a headband or a crown. Her eyeliner was a pretty shade of gray, and her lips were a pastel pink. Her dress was sort of sleeveless, the sort-of sleeves hugged her upper arms. The dress was gray-blue, the color of storm clouds. The dress also had silver sparkles, like stars. The dress reached the floor, but the gray-blue fabric stopped around her knees, and was replaced by a lighter gray-blue that looked like it came from underneath the dress. Silver earrings fell from her ears, and a silver necklace lay across her chest. Sparkling gray flats peeked out from the bottom of her dress, but she didn't look like she was walking. She looked like she was floating. Rose didn't look human, she looked like some kind of moon goddess.

I stared at them for a few seconds, not able to move. Then I felt Kalliope punch me in the arm. I winced.

"Stop gaping like a dumb fish and go talk to them," she directed. I shook my head to snap out the beauty-induced stupor.

"Okay. You didn't have to punch me," I said, getting up. Kalliope rolled her eyes for the second time that evening.

I walked over to the Selected, my heartbeat getting faster. I mentally kicked myself.

 _Why are you getting so nervous? You've seen these three before_ , I told myself.

 _Well, maybe because your future wife is standing in front of you and you are about to choose her on live television,_ the other part of my brain said. And they all look like goddesses.

I mentally kicked myself again. Talking to myself, even in my head, wouldn't help at all.

"Good evening," I said to the three ladies. "You all look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks!" Mer exclaimed. She slung one arm around Rae, both of them grinning ear to ear. "We designed them! Rose's too."

Rose smiled gratefully. "They did. It's beautiful, I can't thank them enough."

"You two are to talented," I said. "Now, the Report is going to start soon. Follow me, I'll show you where your seats are."

The Report team had gone all out on this one. There was a small podium in the middle of the stage, with three elaborate golden thrones on them. One for each Selected. There was a giant Illean Flag in the background, decorated with flowers, hearts, and streamers. I thought it was a bit overkill, but it did look nice. The Selected all sat down on the thrones, each looking nervous and scared, but excited.

I went to my place to the side of the podium, reviewing my thoughts. I knew who I was going to choose. At least, I think I did. She was amazing, kind, and just as incredible on the outside as she was on the inside. Her smile lit up my world. However, my mind kept on going back to the other two. They were both amazing people as well. Did me thinking that mean I didn't love the women I was going to choose?

"Hey," I heard someone say. I turned around, and Tristan was there. "You look nervous. What's up?"

I gave him a look.

"Oh, yeah. The Selection. The One."

"I'm having second thoughts," I answered.

"Well, why?"

"I still feel the same way about her. Hell, my feelings have escalated if they did anything. It's just that I keep thinking of the other two. I don't want to marry someone if I can't get my mind off of two other women."

"Why do you keep on thinking of them?" Tristan asked.

I was about to start talking, but stopped. Why did I keep thinking about them?

"Well, I don't want them to go. It's been nice with more people here. Plus, I don't want to make either of the other girls sad. They both deserve better than to be just those Selected that didn't win. I want them to be happy."

Tristan tapped one finger against his chin.  
"So you feel bad for them. You don't love them, you just want them to be happy," he said.

I stared at him for a second, processing the information. "Dude. You should be a therapist or something. Thanks a million."

"No problem," he said. "I gotta get to my seat. Good luck."

"Thanks again."

He gave me a thumbs-up sign, then walked over to his seat. I noticed Marius and Luna walk in together. Kalliope had texted me that their date went well a couple days ago. Marius had his arm around Luna's shoulders, and was holding her close. I still didn't really approve of them, maybe I never would. Marius was infamous for being a heartbreaker, and I sure as hell didn't want my sister's heart broken. But I could see something in Marius's eyes when he looked at Luna, and the same thing was in her eyes when she looked at him. They had to go to their seats, so as they parted Marius kissed her on the forehead. I clenched my hands into fists, but unclenched them once I saw Luna's huge smile.

I saw the Queen of France enter after my sister and Marius. She had wanted to come to check up on her son, and of course see the Report. She looked at the two, looking satisfied but a bit confused. Then she saw Luna's golden eyes, and her confusion grew. She went to talk to her son, and I hoped it would go well.

The families came in after. Ethan was grinning, and waved to Mer. She waved back, grinning. The Kressins and the Derryns looked excited as well, but also very worried.

"The Report will be going live in 30 seconds!" I heard someone yell. Griffin went over to the curtain, so he could be ready.

I heard the Illean National Anthem. The Report had started.

After the Anthem ended, Griffin pushed the curtain away and walked in front of the crowd. I could hear them cheering.

"Good evening Illea, and welcome to the Report!" Griffin yelled. The crowd started to scream louder. "Months ago, The Selection started and 35 women came into the palace, hoping to find true love. Leo has slowly narrowed them down to three girls, and tonight, as you all know, our darling prince will be choosing The One. Tonight we will find out which of the Selected will be his bride!"

"If you don't know, the three final Ladies are Rose Maynard, Merideth Kressin, and Raelynn Derryn! Those three have survived the longest in this competition, and I must say, I have no idea who the One will be. I guess tonight we'll find out!" he said.

Griffin stepped to the side, and the curtains opened. The Ladies and everyone else were hidden from sight. A giant grey-white screen that could be pulled down from the ceiling blocked them. The projector turned on, and the slide show started.

With the help of Luna, who turned out to be very good at tech stuff, my sisters, the Ashbaugh siblings, and I had made a montage of the Selection. There were screens behind the audience, so those behind the screen could see what was happening. The classical music started.

First, pictures of all of the original Selected came on the screen. So many faces that I remembered shone from the screen. I hated having to eliminate so many of them, so many of them that I had barely known, and would probably never know.

Next, the were pictures of the major parts of the Selection. The audience laughed and cheered as pictures and videos came on the screen. I saw me meeting the Selected for the first time. In the viseo, I looked nervous at first, but I could see myself relaxing as the video played.

Next was my first date. I heard Mer gasp, even though I was a bit far from her. There were pictures of us, smiling, eating, and laughing. I could feel myself grinning as I looked at the pictures.

The next scene was of the Valentine's Ball. I watched a short video of myself dipping Elodie, and pictures of me talking with Val. There was also a video of Tristan and Chrystal dancing, which made many members of the audience squeal (for some reason).

Then there was the Capture The Flag Game. Arabella ran across the screen, and a group of people, the scarlet team I believe, erupted into cheers. I saw myself mark a point on the scoreboard.

The next picture was from the ball where Kalliope got engaged. I could see Marius taking a shot in the background, Kalliope and Luna talking and . . . Brynn. She was in the very back of the photo, I could barely see her. I looked at the floor as the audience started to talk quietly. I knew she was going to be in these pictures, but I couldn't bear to let Luna cut her out of the picture. It was painful, but it would be unfair to block her out.

Luckily, the picture changed to a picture of a sunny beach. The beach trip. The Elite had already been announced by then. The picture was nice, I was pulling Cass into the water, she was resisting. Elodie and Ari were talking, and Chrystal was staring at Tristan lovingly. Lottie was pulling Kalliope into the water, and Marius was talking to a blushing Luna. Rae was sitting on the beach, and Courtney and Vivian were tanning. Mer and Rose were swimming and talking and laughing. The photo caught Mer mid-laugh, her eyes closed.

Next was short clips of the Talent Show. I saw Mer and Rae walking down the runway in beautiful dresses, Elodie leaping and twirling across the stage, and Chrystal climbing up two walls. The music got a little faster. Then there was a clip of Brynn dancing, her body almost looking like it was controlled by puppet strings. I wanted to look down, but I couldn't keep my eyes of the girl on the screen. My chest tightened.

Brynn changed to Rose, smiling shyly. All of her art was behind her. She was incredibly talented, for someone who had never taken a class (at least, not a class that I knew of). Rose disappeared, and turned into Ari. I found that my fists were clenching, even though I didn't mean them to be. I was glaring. The audience was whispering, I could hear anger in their voices.

Ari morphed into Vivian. More specifically, a short clip of her modelling. She blew the audience a kiss, and the look on her face made blood rush to my face. I hoped that the audience couldn't see me. Vivian turned into a picture of Cass. Her eyes were closed and she was singing.

The very short montages of the currently Selected started. Rose was first. The first clip was me holding her hand on the day I met her. The difference between her then and her now was stunning. In the photo her arms were sticks, and her bones stuck out prominently. Now she was more filled in, less hollow. She was healthier, and happier.

The next photo of her was in the Capture The Flag Game. Her face was shiny with sweat, but she was obviously happy. Then there was a photo of her admiring a rose. The Osiria Rose. She had a small, but beautiful smile on her face.

The next girl was Rae. The first picture was of her eating chocolate. She had a huge smile on her face, and her hair was in a simple plait. She looked pretty. How did someone look pretty in a photo taken randomly? The second photo was of me and her talking on the beach. The last photo was of me and her at the fashion show. Rae's eyes were wide, and she was taking photos. A huge grin was on her face.

The last girl on the screen was Mer. The first picture was of me, putting my jacket across her shoulders. The sunset was in the background. Some members of the audience started hooting, which made my face go up in flames. I glanced at Mer, her's was too (but she was also smiling, which made me smile). Next, there was a short clip of her sewing, me at her side. Her tongue was sticking out slightly. She looked so serious and focused, it was really cute.

The last picture was of her and me, again. This time we were on the beach. She was talking, one hand holder her ice cream, and the other in the air. Her green eyes were sparkling in the sun. I was watching her, and eating my ice cream.

The montage ended, and the audience started to clap and cheer. The screen retracted back into the ceiling, revealing me, my friends and family, the Selected's family, and the Selected. The cheers got louder, and I stepped out into the light, where everyone could see me.

"Good evening Illea!" I yelled. The screaming almost busted my eardrums, and I held back a wince. I smirked unconsciously.

I waited for the cheering to stop before I spoke. "As you know, tonight I will be choosing my bride. I've thought about this, and this moment a lot, and it's been a very tough decision. But now I speak with absolute clarity."

I walked closer to the stage. I saw that the Selected were nervous. But when I looked in their eyes, I could also see they were ready.

"There are so many good thing about each of them," I continued. "You can only see so much on T.V, and I can tell you they are so much better in person. I have been honored to get to know each one."

I walked up the stairs and turned towards the three ladies.

"Rae," I began. She sat up a little straighter. "You are honestly so caring and sweet. You're smart, you defend yourself, and you're so generous. You can be positive in almost impossible situations. You're silly and awesome and inspiring, and your heart is true. You're so much more than a six."

Rae was smiling ear-to-ear, and there might have been tears in her eyes.

I walked a few steps until I was in front of Rose, who was already smiling beautifully.

"Rose, you are so so amazing. You're so strong, and you didn't let all those years on the street make you bitter. You are so kind hearted to everyone, and you are an incredible artist. You're also pretty funny. I can't believe how much you've changed since you were first Selected. You deserve the world."

Rose's cheeks were as red as her namesake, and I thought I saw a tear run down her cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered so quietly I could barely hear it.

I walked forward, towards Mer. She looked so excited, it was really cute.

"Mer. You were my first date, and I definitely don't regret that decision. You are so passionate, but still so affectionate. I don't know how you do it," I admitted, which made the audience chuckle. "You are so sweet, and you see the good in everyone. I can't believe how talented you are, and you can be so charming and interesting. You're very different, but in a good way. A very good way."

By the end of my speech, Mer was grinning so wide I thought her face might explode. She looked so happy, which made me happy.

I turned toward the audience. "They are all so wonderful, and I want nothing but happiness for each of them. However, I do know there is only one of them I truly love. She lights up my world. My favorite part of the day is when I see her. She makes me smile so wide, and I fall in love with her more and more each day. I just want to be with her. She's so so special to me. She matters to me. It's as simple as that."

In one swift movement, I dropped to one knee and pulled a ring box out of my back pocket. I opened it, staring into the now teary eyes that captured me time and time again.

My own eyes watery, I spoke. "Merideth Felicity Kressin, I love you with all my heart and soul. Will you marry me?"

I watched her green eyes widen and her smile grow. Tears ran down her cheeks, but I could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn't sad. Not at all.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice shaky. She cleared her throat and spoke again. "Yes yes, a million times yes!"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I could hear the crowd screaming as I slipped the ring on her right ring-finger. It was made of palladium, and had a perfectly clear diamond on it. She held up her hand, giggling happily.

I stood up, pulling her with me. I stared straight into her green eyes, leaned in, and pressed my lips onto her's.

Our first kiss.

For a minute I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't remember anything, the only thing I could feel was Mer's lips on mine and a feeling like electricity coursing through my body.

When we disconnected, we were both breathless and grinning like idiots. I could hear the roar of the crowd in my ears. She broke eye contact, and we both turned to look at Griffin.

"Well," he said. "That was absolutely beautiful. Please, a round of applause for the lovely Merideth!"

The crowd clapped, and while that was happening, my dad walked on stage. Griffin silenced the crowd, and motioned for my father to speak.

"I have something to say," he said, looking irritated and hesitant. He sighed, and rolled his eyes slightly. Now I know who Kalliope got it from.

"I would like to apologize to Queen Lilou for what I said a few months ago about her. It was wrong and uncalled for. Will you accept my forgiveness?"

His apology was a bit sarcastic, but it sounded more sincere than many other things I heard from him.

Queen Lilou stood up and moved into the spotlight. "I accept your apology, King Octavian. You look like you want to say something else."

"I do."

He cleared his throat.

"I would like to propose that we destroy the engagement between my daughter Kalliope and your son Marius. I don't think they would be happy together, and I know we both want the happiness of our children."

The Queen thought for a few tense seconds, then nodded her head. "I agree. I, in fact, know that my son may be dating your other daughter Luna."

"Yes. They are," my dad said dryly.

"Oooooooooh," the audience said. The spotlight focused on Marius and Luna. He easily scooped her up into a fireman's hold, so she was hanging over his shoulder. Her face was next to his, and he kissed her on the cheek. She instantly went red, and her eyelids fluttered. A moment later she went limp, and I was pretty sure she fainted.

"Well anyways," Griffin began. "That ends tonight's action and romance filled Report! Many things were confirmed tonight, and now our amazing prince has an equally amazing fiance!"

The audience cheered loudly. I grabbed Mer around the waist gentilly.

"Is this okay?" I whispered to her.

"Yeah," she whispered back, smiling at me. "This is great."

She leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you and goodnight!" Griffin yelled.

The curtain closed, and the Report ended.

* * *

 **So, that's the One! I really really hope you liked the chapter, and the choice that Leo made. The next chapter isn't going to be the epilogue (it may be short), but the one after that will be! Thanks for reading!**


	63. Lovers

**A/N Hey fellas! Not much to say here, except it may take a bit to get the next chapter out. I'm going to be busy, and I also want it to be a good chapter.**

 **Cbear88: Thanks!**

 **happypotato: This made me smile.**

 **ALBETINA101: Thank you!**

 **Smiley: I'm so glad you liked it! And thank you for reading this!**

 **Booklovin'03: I'm glad. I might do one, I'm still thinking about it.**

* * *

 _Leo's POV_

I pulled Mer down the hall, her hand tightly in mine. We finally got the chance to leave the Report filming area, after being bombarded by people. Now we could finally relax.

"Where are we going?" Mer asked.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," I answered, turning around to grin at her. My fiance. I could feel the ring on her finger, and the one on mine. It was still hard to believe, but it had happened. I proposed. I was going to get married.

We stopped by a door, one near mine. It was white, and had elaborate golden patterns on it. Mer looked quizzically at me, her green eyes wide.

I opened the door, to reveal a room. "This is where you'll stay until the wedding."

Mer gasped, her pink lips forming a big smile.

The room was huge and very fancy. I had it built before the Selection. There was a huge circle-shaped bed that had curtains. Behind it was a golden reflective surface with roses engraved on it. There was a white sofa in a corner of the room that accompanied a glass table. Near the bed there was a white empty bookshelf. The huge windows showed some of the best views on Angeles City. There was also a door to the right of the room which led to a bathroom.

"Do you like it? If you don't, I can change it," I said, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

Mer giggled. "Don't worry. It's beautiful. I love it. So I'll sleep and hang out in here until the wedding?"

"Yeah," I answered. "Then you'll sleep in my room. Unless you want to stay in here, which would be fine too."

"Okay," she said. "What about my family?"

"All the families will stay the night, and tomorrow they'll all head home. Your family will because they need to pack to move here, or they can stay there for a while. You can go with them if you want."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll sleep on it, and decide tomorrow."

Mer walked over to the bed, and pretty much collapsed into it.

"It's so soft!" she exclaimed. Mer rolled over, so I could see her face. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling. She looked pretty tired, but serene.

"I'm glad you like it. You shouldn't fall asleep though, you're still in your gown," I pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" she said, getting up. "I gotta change."

I stood there for a moment until I recognized what she meant. I face turned red. "Oh. Right. Your pajamas are in the drawers."

I left the room and closed the door, smiling. I could hear Mer moving around in the room. I suddenly heard a loud thump.

"Hey," I said, knocking on the door. "You okay?"

There was a moment before I heard her voice. "Yeah! This gown is really big, it's a bit hard to get out of!"

"I would offer help, but that would be a bit inappropriate."

"Yeah, it would. Anyways, I'm almost done!"

There was a minute before the door opened. Mer was wearing a big light blue baggy t-shirt with the words Let It Snow in white on it. Her hair was a bit messy and her cheeks flushed, but she looked absolutely adorable.

I must have looked at her a certain way, because she asked," What is it?"

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "You're just really cute."

She blushed, her cheeks turning pinker than they already were. "T-thanks. I'm going to go to bed now. It's been a long day. I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"Okay," I said. "I will too. Have a good night, sweet dreams."

Suddenly I was overcome by a certain emotion. I grabbed Mer's small hands, pulled her toward me, and kissed her on the forehead. My face flushed, but it felt right. We stood there for a moment, just holding hands.

"G-good night," she said, her voice an octave higher than normal.

I started to walk to my room, but the sound of her voice made me stop.

"What is it?" I asked, turning around.

I felt the girl fly into my chest, and I stumbled backward. I finally realized that she was hugging me, which made me smile. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.

"Tonight was awesome, thanks," she said, her voice muffled. "I-I love you."

"You shouldn't thank me for falling for you," I said. "I don't regret a thing. And I love you too, with everything I have."

* * *

 **Sorry this was sort of short. I felt like I needed to wrap things up. Next chapter will be the epilogue, so please get in the futures of your characters if you haven't already! Thanks for reading!**


	64. I'll Love You For Forever

**A/N Hi everybody! This is the last chapter of this story, and then it will be completed. There's going to be more details in the author's note at the end. And I did not know about how complicated weddings were. Also, the vows in this chapter are Celtic.  
**

 **Smiley: Your welcome!**

 **Booklovin'03: Thank you so much! Don't worry, I'm not stopping any time soon.**

 **potatospwat: Holo is nice.**

 _Six Months Later_

 _Mer's POV_

I stared at myself in the mirror, beaming. After six long, but fun, months of planning, I was going to marry him.

The love of my life.

Leo.

Even when I thought his name it made me smile and a fire start in my chest. I hadn't seen him all day, which felt kind of weird now. Over the last six months we had been joined at the hip.

"Mer! Omg, you look amazing!" I heard someone yell. I turned around, the fabric of my dress swishing. Rae ran into the room, and gave me a big hug. I hugged her back, probably messing up my hair. I didn't care. I hadn't seen her in awhile.

"You look really good as well," I said, grinning at her. "It's so great to see you!"

"You too. Sorry I couldn't come to the rehearsal dinner."

"It's totally fine."

Rae was going to be my maid of honor. She had become my best friend over the months of the Selection, and even though she had to go back to Dakota, we had stayed in contact.

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah! I still can't believe I'm getting married!" I squealed, bouncing on my toes.

Rae quickly looked me up and down again. "Sit down. I'll fix your hair."

I sat down in the chair, and my best friend quickly pulled my hair back up. Rae clipped in the flower hairpiece, and then took a small box out of her purse.

"What's that?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Something new, right?"

She opened the box to show me some gorgeous silver earrings that shimmered. I gasped, my eyes growing wide.

"These are so pretty!" I exclaimed. Rae took them out of the box, and carefully put them in my ears. I smiled at my reflection.

"Do you have the blue thing and the old thing?"

"Yeah," I said. I showed her a bracelet, which was golden. It had a blue gem on it. "It's from Leo. he gave it to me yesterday."

I then grabbed the pendant around my neck and showed it to her. It had a cloudy white jewel in the middle.

"This was my grandmother's," I explained.

"Ooh, it's pretty," Rae said, looking at it closely.

"Hey Mer. Lookin good," I heard Kalliope say. She, Luna, and Lottie were at the door, in their dresses. They were my bridesmaids.

"Thanks!"

"It's no surprise Leo chose you," Lottie said, examining her nails. She looked up and added, "Oh, sorry Rae."

"It's okay," Rae said truthfully. "I'm over it."

"Is everyone here?" I asked.

"Yeah," Kalliope answered. "Some people are still coming in, but I'm pretty sure no one is going to come in late."

"Okay, thanks."

"Are you nervous?" Luna asked, looking a little worried.

"A little," I admitted. "But I'm mostly excited. I mean, I'm getting married! After today I'm going to be Merideth Schreave."

"It does roll of the tongue nicely," Lottie offered.

"But I'm going to be Queen. I mean, I don't know a lot about politics. But I'll learn, I guess," I said, shrugging.

Kalliope gave me a little hug. "You're going to do great. The public loves you, and that'll never change."

Before I could get a word out Luna gasped really loudly. We all turned to her, concerned looks on our faces. She turned pink, but opened up a small purse and pulled out something. It was a square box.

"Something borrowed," she said shyly, and handed me the package. I opened it up to see a silver tiara. In the middle there was a green jewel, probably an emerald. I gasped, maybe even louder then Luna did.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. Kalliope snatched it out of my hands and placed the tiara on my head.

"It matched your eyes," Rae said.

I pulled all four of them into a group hug. "Thanks. You guys are the best."

Kalliope grinned. "Ya know it!"

Leo's POV

I stood in front of the altar as the music began to play. I was about to be married to Mer, the girl I loved more then anything. I felt strangely calm for once, and at peace.

I scanned the crowd, seeing many familiar faces. I recognized many former Selected. I was stunned to see Val holding an adorable sleeping baby, and Amber with a ring on her finger and a man on her arm. I also saw Chrystal sitting down. I nudged Tristan, and pointed at her. His face lit up.

Everyone say down, and I saw the bridesmaids enter the room. Everyone turned to look at them. They were all wearing lavender dresses that reached the floor with short sleeves.

First up was Rae, the maid of honor and my future wife's best friend. Her hair was braided back, and she smiled kindly at me when I caught her eye.

Next was Kalliope, who was looking around and smiling at everyone. She had bright-red lipstick on, and her eyes caught on a blonde guy sitting next to Cass. After her came Luna, her golden eyes nervously darting from right to left. She glanced at Marius, and a smile spread across her face quicker than the speed of light. Lottie walked behind her, her blonde hair down, and she smirked when we made eye contact.

Then I heard the clicking of shoes on the marble floor. I heard the doors open, and saw Merideth Kressin walk in the room.

Her blonde hair was curled and pulled up, and a tiara lay on her head. Her green eyes sparkled with happiness. Her cheeks were light pink, and her lips slightly darker. She wore a white dress, which clung to her body in all the best ways possible. The skirt was ruffled, and the top was decorated with lace that travelled down her arms. She radiated happiness, and the whole audience had smiles on their faces.

She took her father's arm and walked down the aisle. My smile grew as she came closer. She grabbed my hands and we stared into each other's eyes. The whole room was silent, you could hear a pin drop.

"Merideth," I began. "Ever since I first met you, I wanted to be around you. You're always so positive, and whenever I see you or just think of you, I can feel myself getting happier. I love the way you told everyone to call you Mer the minute you met them. I love the way you're kind to everyone. I love the way you don't give up, and how you can brighten everyone's day. You're so passionate, so talented, so selfless, and so friendly. You have a strong will and a heart the size of the sea. You never leave my mind. I'm so lucky that I have you. Sometimes the world can be so cruel, and it can be hard to live in. You being here just improves the world so much. Mer, you're like a beacon of light to me and everyone here. I love you. I'll never stop."

She was grinning so wide, and tears were running down her cheeks. She quickly brushed tears of her face, and took a deep breath.

"Leo, to tell the truth, I first entered the Selection to help my family out," Mer admitted. "But when I met you, I found another reason to stay here. You're different then you were on T.V. You are so kind to everyone, and don't discriminate against people because of their caste. I was afraid you were going to be. . . stiff. Distant. You weren't, not at all. You were alive, and sweet, and excited, and so human. When you asked me out on a date, I felt so excited. I had never felt that way toward someone like that before. I fell in love, and I fell fast. And I'm glad it was you. I love you."

By the end of her speech, I could feel a single tear running down my cheek. She giggled a little, sounding happy and a little emotional.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Groom and the Bride have found their own vows. You may recite them now," the minister said.

"You cannot posses my for I belong to myself," I started. "But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require, and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand."

I took a breath.

"I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine. I shall not slander you, nor you me. I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in private and tell no strangers our grievances. This is my wedding vow to you. This is the marriage of equals."

I squeezed Mer's hands.

"You cannot possess my for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require, and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand. "I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine. I shall not slander you, nor you me. I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in private and tell no strangers our grievances."

Mer was almost glowing with happiness, even though multiple tears were dripping from her chin and her voice was choking up.

"This is the marriage of equals."

Ethan, in a little suit and tie, skipped down the aisle. A goofy grin was on his face, and in his hands he held a white pillow. Two gold rings lay on the pillow.

He walked up to us and held out the pillow. I took a ring, and Mer did as well. I slipped the ring on her slender finger, and she slipped the ring on mine. She laughed, giddy with joy.

"You down may kiss," the minister announced.

I grabbed Mer around the waist, dipped her, and kissed her. The audience cheered loudly, but I barely heard them. All I could hear was my beating heart, and Mer's.

My wife's.

90 minutes later

Mer and I stood at the doors of the reception hall, her warm hand in mine.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"Yeah! Let's go in."

"Very well," I said, smiling at the women I loved more than anything in the world.

We pushed the doors open. Everyone's heads turned, and some started to clap. Mer beamed, and did a little curtsey.

We all sat down to eat lunch. At our table Mer and I were joined my my sisters, Tristan, Lottie, and Marius. After the Selection ended, Marius had to return to his home country, France. Luna hadn't seen him in a long time, so when he sat next to her her eyes brightened with happiness.

"Hey there," Marius said smoothly. "You look gorgeous."

"Y-you don't look so bad yourself," she squeaked. She looked nervous, but only stuttered once. Marius looked impressed. Kalliope smirked evilly, and I knew she had a hand in this.

I leaned toward my younger sister and asked, "What did you do?"

"I've been teaching her to flirt," Kalliope answered. "She's getting better."

The waiters brought out the food, and Mer gasped in delight. The room began to dig into the prawns, the plates decorated with flower petals. The next course was roasted pheasant, exclusively from New Asia. When I glanced at Mer, her eyes were closed and she was smiling beautifully from ear-to-ear.

"I'm suspecting you like the food," I said.

She turned to me, her green eyes bright with happiness. "Yup! It's great, I've never had anything like it."

She took a sip of champagne, and then made a face. I laughed.

"Ugh, I thought that was punch," she said, laughing at herself. "Champagne is disgusting."

"I actually like it."

"You can have mine then," Mer said, handing her glass to me. I grabbed it, our fingers brushing. Months ago that would have made my stomach flutter and my face flush, but now it didn't. It made my chest feel warm. It was a calmer feeling.

"You have something on your face," I said.

"Oh," she said. "Where?"

I rubbed the spot right next to my lip. She rubbed around that area, but she didn't get it.

"Can you get it?" she asked me.

"Yeah."

I gently brushed the piece of pheasant off her face. She grinned at me.

"Your hands are warm," she said, grabbing my hands.

"Your's are freezing," I noticed. She loosened her hold, and I took her smaller hands in mine. She laid her head on my shoulder, which made me smile.

Lunch ended quickly, and the first dance was starting. I stood up, and offered my wife my arm. She stood up, grinned the smile that made me so happy, and took my arm.

"You look beautiful," I whispered.

"Thank you," she said.

We walked out on the dance floor, and I gave Mer a little twirl. The music started, and we began to waltz across the floor. We spun across the room, my back ramrod straight. Mer accidently stepped forward to soon, which made her laugh nervously.

After a minute or so, we began to relax, having more fun as we had our first wedding dance. I twirled the women I loved dramatically, which made the guests laugh.

Soon the song ended, and others joined us on the floor. I saw Tristan and Chrystal dancing together, both grinning like dorks. I also saw Cass and another man, they were dancing like pros. I was glad to see some of the ex-Selected so happy.

Mer and I moved of the floor, and I went to talk to Val, who was with a man that I recognized. Ryan Symmes, the son of the governor of Midston. I had invited both of them, but I didn't know they were coming together.

"Good afternoon," I greeted them. Val looked up at me, and her face lit up.

"Leo! Congratulations!" she exclaimed.

'Thank you," I said. "Are you two . . ."

Val grinned, and her face shone with happiness. "We're married!"

"Wow! Congratulations, is this your daughter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ryan Symmes said respectfully.

"Please, call me Leo," I insisted. "What's her name?"

"Rosanna."

"Beautiful name," I said. "Well, it's been very nice to see you. Congratulations again!"

"You too," Ryan Symmes said. "Good day, Leo."

"Good day."

I strolled the room, looking around and greeting people. I saw one of the ex-Selected, Mackenzie Wells, holding hands with another girl. She met my eyes, and began to pull the other girl along.

"Hello Leo. Congratulations on getting married," she said, grinning.

"Thank you," I answered. I turned to the other women. "What's your name?"

"Kaelin," she said, sounding a bit nervous. Kaelin curtseyed gracefully. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

"The pleasure is mine."

"She's my girlfriend," Mackenzie added. She kissed Kaelin on the cheek, which made the other woman blush.

"I'm not surprised. You two are very cute together," I said, grinning.

"It was very nice to see you. Give my regards to Mer," Mackenzie said.  
"I will."

The next person I saw was my sister. Kalliope was having an obviously snarky conversation with a blonde boy, the one who was sitting next to Cass earlier. He said something, which I could see made her laugh.

Speaking of Cass, I saw her approach me. She looked a little. . . nervous. It was strange, Cass always looked so confident in the Selection.

"Leo, can I talk to you?' she asked. I was right, she sounded nervous.

"Of course. What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I said when you eliminated me. I was upset, and I shouldn't have said any of those things. I wasn't thinking straight. It was a mistake on my part, and I take full responsibility. I hope you can forgive me."

I leaned against one of the tables. "It's fine. I accept your apology. You were upset. It's totally justified."

Before she could say something else I blurted out, "Hey, was that guy you were dancing with your boyfriend?"

Cass shifted a little. "Yeah. Gabriel. Why do you ask?'

"You looked really happy when you were with him. I was glad."

The women smiled, a wistful look in her eyes. "Thank you. Congratulations on getting married."

"Thanks. I wish you a good day."

About an hour later the wedding cake was brought out. It was huge, tiered, decorated with edible gems, pale pink roses, and buttercream. On the top of the cake there were little figurines of me and my wife. Mer gasped, her green eyes wide and twinkling.

I took her hand. "Come on," I said.

Tristan handed me the knife. Mer and I both held the cake knife, she smiled goofily at me, and we cut the cake. The crowd cheered.

I sliced Mer and me pieces of cake. She had a mischievous smile on her face, for some reason. I brought up my plate to eat, and I found out why that smile on her face was there.

The cake immediately smooshed all over my face, the buttercream cold against my skin. The plate clattered to the floor, and I stood there, dumbfounded. Mer was giggling, and Kalliope looked like she was going to die from laughter. Tristan was chuckling.

I slowly brought my hand up until it touched her hand, the one that was holding her plate. Her eyes widened, and she closed them quickly. The cake smeared her makeup, and her plate fell to join mine. She wiped some cake from her face, and stuck it in her mouth.

"Mmmmm," she mumbled. "That's good."

I bent down and gently pecked Mer on the lips.

"What was that for?" she asked.

I just grinned at her. "I love you."

Her eyes crinkled a little as she said, "I love you too."

 **The End**

* * *

 _Brynn miraculously woke up from her coma as Leo and Mer were going on their honeymoon. She married a handsome cook named Alexander, and becomes one of Leo's advisors (along with Tristan). Her and Alexander had a baby girl named Ella._

 _Tristan and Chrystal stay in touch. About nine months after the wedding, Chrystal moves in with Tristan in Angeles. The married about one year and a half later, and had two children, Zane and Eliza._

 _Kalliope decided she wanted to travel the world. In Hudson, she met the blonde boy who she talked to at the wedding, Connor Dove. They got married a couple years later, and had one child, a girl named Bree._

 _Luna and Marius kept in touch. She visited him in France, and permanently moved there a couple months later. They got married pretty quickly, and had two children. They were both girls, and the married couple named them Juliette and Lena._

 _Lastly, Leo and Mer had a very happy marriage. They had twins, two boys whom they named Nicholas and Adam. They also had a girl named Astrid, and recently had a baby boy named Henry. They love each other to the ends of the earth._

* * *

 **Okay, that's the end. Before this officially ends, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who is reading this! I really appreciate you. Also, some other thank yous;**

 **Thanks to EVERYONE who submitted a character! I might not be able to get to all of you, but every character was really awesome and different. Thank you! Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed! The reviews were all so positive, which I am grateful for.**

 **Okay, let's get started. I hope I don't forget anybody.**

 **Thanks to Booklovin'03, for the lovely reviews! They really made me smile when i read them. Also, go check out their story! It's really good.**

 **Thank you to ImaginationStories! Your reviews were really nice, enthusiastic, and fun to read!**

 **Thanks to Smiley, who submitted Val! She was eliminated earlier on, but was still a good character. Also, thanks for reviewing a bunch!**

 **Thanks to Cbear88, for providing me really good ship names for Luna and Marius and also for reviewing.**

 **Thank you to xxholo, for submitting Brynn and Elise. Brynn was a fan favorite, and I really liked her. Prepare to see her and her daughter in the sequel!**

 **Thanks to Stargazer03, for submitting Rose! She was another fan favorite, and a great character!**

 **Thanks to thathorseygirl101, for submitting Emily and Courtney. Emily wasn't mentioned that much, but Courtney was really fun to write.**

 **Thank you to AdalaideThatFrenchGirl, who submitted Elodie! She was such a great character, and so positive. I really liked her.**

 **Thanks to Tobi (tobi-is-an-artist-too) for reviewing on almost every chapter of this fanfic, and also for submitting Cass! She was really cool, and writing her was a fun challenge.**

 **Thanks to justanothergoldengirl, for occasionally reviewing and also for submitting Rae and Amber. Both of those characters are really awesome.**

 **Many thanks to Dangerouslyswt, for submitting Chrystal, Kyli, and Tiffany. Writing Chrystal and Tristan's relationship was super fun. Also, thanks for all of the positive messages!**

 **Last but certainly not least, a giant thank you to starryworlds, for reviewing and submitting the amazing characters that are Mer (the One!) Vivian, and Ari. I loved all three of them.**

 **I had a really good time writing this story, and I really hope that you enjoyed reading it. There will be a sequel, so please please check it out once it's up! If you have any questions, just message me and I'll do my best to answer quickly. I love all of you so so much, and I hope the holidays goes well for all of you. This is ArmaduraStar7, signing of (at least of this story :D). See you all later!**


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